'Health Minister Simon Harris has admitted officials were wrong to classify a HSE-issued letter about the case as a “fake”.' Photo: PA

Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer during a media update at the Department of Health on the confirmed case of Covid-19 (Coronavirus) in Ireland. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

MAJOR questions have emerged over the handling of the first person to be found to have the coronavirus in the Republic after it was claimed he was at band practice in a community hall shortly before the positive test was announced.

Anyone suspected of having the virus sweeping the world must be in self-isolation until their test result gives the all-clear.

But the case of a school student who tested positive after a trip to Italy was thrown into confusion when a leaked HSE letter said the person was at band practice between 6-8pm on Saturday.

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Under HSE safety guidelines anyone suspected of having the virus needs to be placed in immediate self-isolation with little or no physical contact with other people until the test, which can take several hours to be analysed, is clear.

The Department of Health announced the first confirmed case, a male from the east of the country, shortly before 9pm on Saturday.

Public health doctors, as per protocol, would advise the suspect case about the need to isolate themselves from others in their homes and observe strict guidelines on the sharing of any cutlery or bathroom facilities.

The issue came to light yesterday after a letter from the HSE to the parents of teenagers in a local band, of which the student was a member, was leaked stating the other band members needed to go into self-isolation.

The letter was written on Monday, although the student had been confirmed as having the virus on Saturday night, leading to a two-week closure of his school and an instruction to staff and pupils to restrict their movements.

When contacted and asked if the hall had been disinfected or cleaned thoroughly, a representative of the centre said "we have been advised not to speak to the media, to refer everything back to the HSE."

On its Twitter page the department said “we are aware of fake letter circulating regarding the confirmed case of Covid-19”. But after the letter was proven to be true, the tweet was deleted. While the letter was later confirmed as being genuine by the HSE, a spokesman refused to respond to further queries.

The communications blunder between the HSE and the Department of Health has raised concerns about weaknesses in the national action plan to combat the spread of the virus at a time when clusters of the disease are being forecast.

There were also questions being asked last night about how soon the community hall where the band practice took place was used after practice.

It is understood it was used for activities involving older people yesterday morning.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the virus can potentially survive in the environment for several days.

It warns premises and areas potentially contaminated should be cleaned before re-use, using products containing antimicrobial agents known to the effective against coronaviruses.

Cleaning should be performed using proper personal protective equipment.

The HSE and Department of Health yesterday declined to say if these precautions were observed.

A spokesperson for the HSE said "HSE and the Department of Health are not providing information about individual activations of preparedness plans or about individual cases of Covid-19 other than confirmed cases."

A spokesperson for the Department of Health separately said however that the hall would be safe to occupy after a number of hours "the virus may only survive a few hours if someone who has it coughs or sneezes on a surface. Simple household disinfectants can kill the virus on surfaces and guidance is to clean the surface first and then use a disinfectant.."

They said that they will advise on the time necessary to leave an enclosed area where a person with a known case of Covid-19 had been "on a case by case basis".

Another spokesperson for the Department of Health said: "If somebody is diagnosed with having the Covid-19 the HSE will contact anyone that they deem relevant to advise them.

"What I understand about the virus is that it is droplet-borne so it's not air or saliva. If you sneeze on the bus it doesn't go all over the place. If you cough or sneeze the droplets will go a metre or two metres and then they drop and land on something and if you wipe your hand on that and rub it all over your face then you have a good chance of getting the virus.

"But if you coughed or sneezed on the floor and walked away, within a couple of hours that virus will have died."

Online Editors