Ireland will close all schools, colleges and childcare facilities in an emergency bid to tackle the coronavirus outbreak

• Ireland will close all schools, colleges, and childcare facilities in a bid to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, the country's prime minister announced.
• Indoor gatherings of more than 100 people will also be cancelled.
• It comes after the first death of coronavirus was recorded in the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday, with a total of 43 confirmed cases.
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Ireland will close all schools, colleges and childcare facilities as well as cancelling all large gatherings, the country's prime minister Leo Varadkar announced on Thursday as he moves to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

The measures will come into force from 6pm on Thursday, Varadkar said.

Indoor gatherings of more than 100 people will also be cancelled, while a maximum of 500 people will be allowed to attend an outdoor gathering. Cultural institutions will also close.

Varadkar was addressing the media in Washington DC, where he is visiting for St. Patrick's Day.

He said: "From 6pm today, the following measures will be put in place, and they will stay in place until March 29.

"Schools, colleges and childcare facilities will close from tomorrow.

"Where possible teaching will be done online or remotely."

"Cultural institutions will close as well."

"Our advice is that all indoor mass gatherings of more than 100 people and outdoor mass gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled."

It comes after the first death of coronavirus was recorded in the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday, with a total of 43 confirmed cases, according to BBC News.

There are a total of 18 confirmed cases in Northern Ireland.