Ireland’s four newest coronavirus cases are from Co Clare, The Clare Echo has learned.

Two male and two female patients were confirmed to have contracted the virus. They had been in Northern Italy before returning home.

Nine cases are now confirmed to be on the island of Ireland with three in Northern Ireland.

Chief Medical Officer with the Department of Health, Dr. Tony Holohan confirmed the four individuals had travelled together and that they are being treated in an isolation unit in the West of Ireland.

Dr. Holohan could not confirm the location of the personnel when speaking on RTÉ’s Nine O’Clock News.

However, The Clare Echo has learned that the four cases are from a family in North-West Clare. The Clare Echo has also received confirmation that a primary school in the area has issued a closure notice until March 18th with a pupil having tested positive for Covid 19. “As a precaution school is closed from tomorrow (Thursday) for fourteen days re-opening 18th March. Public health doctors will contact you individually from tomorrow on”.

Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said, “There is still no evidence of widespread or sustained community transmission in Ireland, as seen in some other EU countries. While we now have six confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland, we continue our containment efforts, central to which is that the public know what to do in the event they have symptoms.”

COVID-19 is spread through close contact with an infected person’s body fluids (for example, droplets from coughing or sneezing). It is also spread by touching surfaces that an infected person has coughed or sneezed on, which is one of the reasons why it is so important that people wash their hands regularly, practice respiratory etiquette, and try to avoid touching their face.

The general public is advised to follow advice from the HSE and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre to protect their health.