Workers will be entitled to illness benefit immediately if they are forced to self-isolate due to coronavirus, under measures to be considered by a Cabinet sub-committee.

At present, they do not get state sick pay for the first six days, but moves to slash that to zero are under consideration in a bid to ensure people with suspected cases of coronavirus have financial support.

It comes as health chiefs expect cases of Covid-19 to escalate to “three figures” in weeks as the risk of contagion enters a critical phase.

One more case of coronavirus was confirmed last night, bringing the total in Ireland to 19.

However, the number of cases is expected to escalate to at least 100, possibly within a fortnight, informed sources said.

Members of a golf club in Dublin were last night told a member has been diagnosed with Covid-19. The member, who had played at the club recently, has been subjected to the HSE contact tracing protocols and those he played with have been notified.

Other members of the club have been reassured that unless they have been contacted by the HSE they have no reason to be concerned.

The Government is keeping its decision to allow St Patrick’s Day parades to go ahead under review.

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Cillian de Gascun, medical virologist and chair of the HSE’s Coronavirus Expert Advisory Group, said: “I think it needs to be looked at. Seven days ago we had no cases; today, we have 19, so in seven days’ time we could have twice that, we don’t know, so things will be kept under review.”

The threat is already having an impact. Several hospitals are closing to visitors and more expected to impose restrictions this week.

The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group said restrictions will continue into next week and are under constant review. The group includes Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore; Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise; Naas General Hospital; St Luke’s Hospital, Rathgar; Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital; Tallaght University Hospital, and also St James’s Hospital.

Separately, Phil Ní Sheaghdha of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) yesterday revealed that the recruitment embargo on nurses and midwives has been lifted. Speaking on RTE Radio, she said the HSE confirmed this with the INMO, and said that while it was welcome, it “should have happened much earlier”.

Health officials are scrambling to secure facilities for use as virus testing and isolation units.

The facilities under consideration include unused hospital buildings, non-commissioned primary care facilities, administration blocks and nursing homes.

The HSE and Department of Health are desperate to protect already over-crowded acute hospitals from non-emergency Covid-19 cases and to enhance Ireland’s intensive care unit bed capacity.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has promised that an income support solution for workers who have to self-isolate due to Covid-19 will be drawn up this weekend, with proposals to be discussed at a special Cabinet sub-committee meeting tomorrow.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) had last week called for measures to ensure workers hit by coronavirus didn't suffer a loss of income, and concerns had been expressed that low-paid workers would be worst affected if they had to stay home.

Sources said that one measure now under consideration by the Government is to reduce from six days to zero the number of days it takes for illness benefit to kick in.

The UK brought in a similar measure last week so that people with suspected cases coronavirus would not be reluctant to self-isolate due to concern over financial loss. A source said that the goal was to ensure that someone who has to self-isolate "isn't without support during that time".

The source stressed that if implemented here, people would only be able to claim the illness benefit should they be instructed by a doctor to go into isolation.

Another source said that changing the illness benefit regime could require emergency legislation and this is something that officials are examining before a special Cabinet sub-committee meeting tomorrow.

The measure would be needed by the low-paid as well as by higher-income workers that have mortgages to pay, added the source.

The rates of illness benefit on offer range from €91.10-a-week for people with average weekly earnings of less than €150; to €203 for an individual who is paid €300 or more. The payment is dependent on a certain number of PRSI contributions.

Medical personnel have expressed concern that any surge in Covid-19 will swamp Ireland's isolation bed capacity. One Cork doctor, who asked not to be named, warned that Ireland does not have "an in-built surge capacity" in the system for intensive care and isolation beds. Years of health cuts mean most acute hospitals already operate at maximum capacity.

But the central concern of the medical authorities remains community transmission. Once source said: "If Ireland follows international trends, case numbers will increase significantly - but it becomes less about the numbers and more about how they got it. If there is widespread community transmission, that will take us into a different phase."

Ireland is keen to avoid the UK situation where hospitals have set up special testing 'pods' in hospital car parks.

Elsewhere it was announced that Donegal man Pat Kelly is second officer of the Grand Princess cruise ship which is quarantined off the coast of California with 21 people testing positive for the virus. A small number of Irish people are on board.