Ministerial Broadcast by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar about the Covid-19 pandemic

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the coronavirus emergency is likely to go on well beyond 29 March and could go on for months into the summer.

In a special Ministerial Briefing broadcast on St Patrick's Day, he said that "this is the calm before the storm and the surge will come".

His address comes after 69 new cases were confirmed in the Republic, bringing the overall number to 292.

The broadcast was made under Section 122 of the Broadcast Act, which allows the Government broadcasting time for announcements in the event of a major emergency.

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