Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar | Aris Oikonomou/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus pushes Irish parties to start government talks Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael say they will start talks on forming a coalition.

Ireland's traditional two main parties — Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael — on Tuesday said they would try to work together to form a government, spurred on by the coronavirus outbreak.

In identical statements, party leaders Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar said they have held "constructive discussions" and "decided that teams from the two parties should now commence in-depth detailed talks."

They added that they are "acutely aware of the enormous challenges facing the country, particularly with the onset of COVID-19."

According to the Irish Independent, three new coronavirus cases on Monday brought the total to 40 cases on the island of Ireland — 24 of them in the Republic.

A surge in support for Sinn Féin in last month's election saw the left-wing nationalist party win the popular vote, sweeping away the traditional dominance of Varadkar's Fine Gael and Martin's Fianna Fáil. In the final count, Sinn Féin had 37 seats, Fianna Fáil 38, and Fine Gael 35. Vardakar remains caretaker prime minister.

Ideologically, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are not miles apart: Rather than representing different strands of a left-right political spectrum, they are descended from two sides of Ireland’s civil war in the 1920s. Fine Gael brands itself as the more fiscally responsible party and has pioneered socially progressive reforms. Fianna Fáil has a tradition of more social spending and a conservative streak.

From 2016 until the election, the parties worked together in a “confidence and supply” arrangement. While officially in opposition, Fianna Fáil facilitated the Varadkar minority government by abstaining or supporting it in crunch votes.

The two leaders said they would “enter the talks as equal partners determined to develop proposals which will serve the interests of the people of Ireland.” According to the Irish Times, that's being interpreted as meaning any coalition government would feature a rotating prime minister.