Additional reporting: Neil Michael, and Conall Ó Fátharta

The acting Government has announced a €3bn package to tackle the spread of Covid-19, warning that, if worst-case predictions come true, then the outbreak will be like nothing we have experienced in living memory.

In an unprecedented move, acting Taoiseach Leo Varadkar revealed a range of emergency measures.

They are designed to try to slow the spread of the deadly virus, but Mr Varadkar admitted the crisis could continue into next year.

Among the measures are:

€2.4bn for a package of reforms for workers impacted by coronavirus to cover for sick pay, illness benefit and supplementary benefit;

€435m to the HSE for increased health spending;

€200m in liquidity funding for businesses.

Mr Varadkar said he would also speak with other EU leaders today about preventative measures and how the bloc can act as one, including on flight restrictions from some countries.

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases here has now gone from 21 to 24. Of these, 14 are confirmed cases of people who travelled to northern Italy.

The rest are people who either caught the virus from a confirmed case or from an unknown source in the community.

In announcing the latest figures, chief medical officer Tony Holohan confirmed health chiefs are to move from the current so-called containment phase to a new phase. This is the delay phase, where the objective is to try and slow the spread of the virus and if possible, push it away from the winter months.

Earlier, the Taoiseach admitted this crisis “could go on well into next year”. He advised against “panic buying” but warned that the crisis will be “not like anything in living memory.”

He said: “The virus can’t be stopped but it can be slowed and the impact on it can be reduced. We have no treatment, no vaccine and no immunity so this is going to be a society response as it is going to be a medical one.

"As a consequence of that, all necessary resources will be mobilised. We will stay in the contagion phase as long as possible but we will move to the delay phase and the mitigation phase in the weeks ahead.”

Mr Varadkar also said there will be “a significant proportion who will require critical care”, warning that 50% of the population could become infected.

“And a percentage that we don’t know, we honestly don’t know yet — it could be less than 1%, it could be as much as 3% mortality. We don’t know yet,” he said.

“But when you’re talking about 1%, 2%, or 3%, of half the population, those are very big figures.”

In another day of dramatic developments:

All of Italy has now been placed on lockdown restricting the movements of 60m people;

St Patrick’s Day parades were cancelled, including major events in Dublin and Cork.;

Stock markets plummeted as fears of a global recession spread;

The WHO warned we are closer to a pandemic as the number of cases globally rose to 110,029 cases and 3,817 deaths.

Of these, more than 396 have been in Europe out of a total of more than 11,577 confirmed cases.

A fifth person, who was in their 70s and had underlying conditions, died in the UK yesterday after contracting coronavirus. They had tested positive for Covid-19 and passed away in St Helier Hospital, London.

On the issue of hospital visitor restrictions, Dr Holohan said at yesterday’s briefing: “In terms of measures like visiting arrangements, I would say that’s an example of the kind of measure that we think should happen at a point in time.

“I think we wouldn’t necessarily be recommending widespread restrictions on visiting right at the moment.

“But, at a point in time, I think that will become necessary and that might not be far away.”

And he said imposing those restrictions is not a decision taken lightly.

Dr Holohan also said: “While Ireland remains in a containment phase, we will eventually move to delay phase.

“Containment is about identifying and containing all cases no matter how mild.

“The delay phase will focus on minimising the spread of the virus.”

He ignored a call from former TD Jim McDaid to step down but said he welcomed the chance to talk to anybody who can present new data and other information to help the Government deal with the crisis.