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Leah Farrell/Rollingnews.ie

School closures may be extended into April or May, Taoiseach tells Fine Gael TDs

Leo Varadkar also spoke with Prime Minister Boris Johnson this evening.

TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has told a meeting of Fine Gael TDs that the closure of schools due to the Covid-19 outbreak may be extended into April or May.

The Taoiseach also spoke to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson this evening, and the pair agreed on the need to keep in contact and align their actions – in so far as possible – on the crisis.

Today marks a week since Varadkar told the nation that schools had been ordered to close until 29 March as the State ramped up steps to try to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

However, with the number of cases expected to reach as high as 15,000 by the end of the month, it had been indicated that the measures brought in – which also include colleges and other public institutions – could be extended at some stage.

Public health authorities have said that social distancing is vital to preventing the spread of the virus and, following the closure of all pubs at the weekend, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said he is pleased with how the public were following the advice given.

Varadkar told a conference call of the party’s 35 TDs this evening that the number of cases of Covid-19 will rise further in the coming days. 

He told them all of the government was pulling together to fight the virus, with the benefits of these social distancing measures unlikely to be seen for five to ten days.

In his call with Johnson, the Taoiseach welcomed the decision to close schools and the pair also discussed the importance of close cooperation on the operation of the Common Travel Area.

This evening, the government passed emergency legislation aimed at taking action at halting the spread of the virus and received cross party support.

A temporary rent freeze has also been indicated, with over over 50,000 applications for the the Covid-19 unemployment benefit so far.

With reporting from Christina Finn

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    Mute Ziggy722
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    Mar 30th 2016, 11:41 AM

    They are already talking about using this technology to cure phobias like speaking in public and other more general forms of social anxiety. The possibilities with this technology are immense and positively exciting.

    145
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    Mute Teddington
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    Mar 30th 2016, 1:23 PM

    More likely people will use them to escape social situations as we veer further towards a fully virtual society.

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    Mute Insert funny comment
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    Mar 30th 2016, 8:22 PM

    Porn, it’s going to be used for porn. Same as the Internet.

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    Mute Gooney
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    Mar 30th 2016, 11:46 AM

    FFS get a grip,that was pure shite!

    86
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    Mute Cosmo Kramer
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    Mar 30th 2016, 11:41 AM

    Jasus The Journal has gone downhill if this is considered newsworthy

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    Mute Foghorn Leghorn
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    Mar 30th 2016, 11:47 AM

    They’ve always peddled fluff alongside the more pressing issues. Room for them both

    36
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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Mar 30th 2016, 11:59 AM

    Every weekday at 11am we have Take a Break, it’s generally a lighter video like this. We have about 60+ articles a day, so there’s plenty to read that isn’t like this.

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    Mute Foghorn Leghorn
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:35 PM

    Great, now look what you’ve done Cosmo. Hope you’re happy.
    Pass no heed aoife you’re doing a sterling job. Snapchat hun?

    38
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    Mute Cosmo Kramer
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:48 PM

    Yes but not every video with an “Irish Mammy” is funny

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    Mute Paige Turners
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:59 PM

    I like the Journals work @Aoife. Never mind the bugrudgers! I think it’s a great video. .. shows how accessible it is. The Irish mammy dropping f-bombs is classic!!

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    Mute Brian
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    Mar 30th 2016, 1:33 PM

    Nothing to do with begrudging, it’s just my opinion and many others that it is cringeworthy and not remotely funny. Journal can do much better than this

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    Mute Chewy_Burton
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    Mar 30th 2016, 11:38 AM

    Yawn

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    Mute GameOverMan
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    Mar 30th 2016, 11:46 AM

    Was expecting more ‘

    52
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    Mute J Judd
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:05 PM

    FFS Filming in portrait !

    42
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    Mute OU812
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    Mar 30th 2016, 1:18 PM

    You’d think they’d make the cameras not record video in portrait by this stage…

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    Mute graham galvin
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    Mar 30th 2016, 6:05 PM

    Or you would think people would know to record with their phone sideways by now.

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    Mute IrishGravyTrain
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:15 PM

    Was only a matter of time before these videos arrived.

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    Mute Slew Lok
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:26 PM

    I wonder what she was watching

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    Mute Peter Cavey
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:32 PM

    It’s the jurassic Park clip. A sleeping bronctosauaus wakes up and comes over to you. It’s really cool

    16
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    Mute Peter Mc Hugh
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:06 PM

    Why is the footage warping at sections around the womans body?

    8
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    Mute Foghorn Leghorn
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:41 PM

    Illuminati and or NWO, with a possibility of lizard people shapeshifting

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Mar 30th 2016, 1:12 PM
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    Mute Tertullian
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    Mar 30th 2016, 7:23 PM

    That’s nearly two minutes of my life wasted. On the plus side, at least she didn’t pepper the entire video with multiple effing and blinding which, unfortunately, one has come to expect from such Irish-made videos. But for gawd’s sake, why can’t the makers of them use landscape mode?

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    Mute Vladimir Vasyectomy
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    Mar 30th 2016, 4:12 PM

    That looked like me coming home from the pub last night.

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    Mute Gerry Fallon
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:02 PM

    Have a look at that wine rack in the background, packed!! Bit early in the day to be drinking!

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    Mute itsonlyme
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:42 PM

    Are those the 30€ dunnes headsets?

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    Mute Peter Cavey
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:56 PM

    Gear VR

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    Mute Gerry Fallon
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    Mar 30th 2016, 11:59 AM

    That kitchen looks a bit dated!

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    Mute Foghorn Leghorn
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    Mar 30th 2016, 12:47 PM

    Billy big balls cause he has an island in his

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Mar 30th 2016, 1:01 PM

    I think this is an advert…

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Mar 30th 2016, 1:00 PM

    This pornos great…

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    Mute Vladimir Vasyectomy
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    Mar 30th 2016, 4:18 PM
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    Mute Jim Woodcock
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    Mar 30th 2016, 10:16 PM

    Can’t wait to play knockout kings on this so I can finally win a fight.

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