Ireland’s Six Nations clash with Italy in doubt:
THE Six Nations rugby match between Ireland and Italy should not take place due to the risk posed by Covid-19, the Republic’s Health Minister has said.
The Irish Department of Health’s National Public Health Emergency Team recommended the game should be postponed following a meeting yesterday.
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) was last night seeking an urgent meeting with Irish health minister Simon Harris as to why the Ireland versus Italy rugby match in Dublin on March 7 should be cancelled.
Mr Harris told RTE news: “The very clear view of the public health emergency team was that this game should not go ahead and that it would constitute a significant risk, because a very large number of people will be travelling from what is now an affected region.
“So my department will be contacting the IRFU. I know (it will) cause a great disappointment to many, but it is important to make decisions in relation to public health above and beyond all other considerations.”
In a statement later, the Irish rugby ruling body said: “The IRFU is seeking an urgent meeting with Minister Harris as to the specific reasoning behind calling for the cancellation of the Ireland v Italy Six Nations fixture in the context of the Government’s overall travel policy to and from Italy and other affected countries.
“Until such time as the IRFU has had contact with the Minister and gets an understanding of the government’s strategic policy on travel to and from Ireland and the cancellation of mass gatherings, it is not in a position to comment further.”
Meanwhile, a British holidaymaker told to stay inside a Tenerife hotel has said she is having a “holiday from hell” after an Italian doctor there was diagnosed with coronavirus.
Guests at the four-star H10 Costa Adeje Palace in the south west of the island have been sent a letter saying the hotel is “closed down” and they must remain in their rooms until further notice.
Hannah Green (27), from Hertfordshire, arrived at the hotel on Saturday with her boyfriend, Court Amys, and their one-year-old son.
She said that communication had been “non-existent”, adding: “We woke up to a note under our door this morning saying that for health reasons not to leave our room.
“I called downstairs to reception as soon as I saw it and they wouldn’t tell us anything. So I quickly got on my phone and googled and saw a man had tested positive for coronavirus so I basically assumed it was that.
“But since then, we’ve had nothing from the hotel — no one has told us anything or what’s going to happen.”
She said a sandstorm at the weekend had also confined them to their rooms.
“Holiday from hell, honestly,” she said.
The H10 Costa Adeje Palace is a seafront hotel with nearly 500 rooms, four pools and a gym.
The Italian doctor, who had travelled with his wife, tested positive on Monday and has been placed in isolation in hospital, local media reported, while the El Pais newspaper said about 1,000 guests were affected by the lockdown.
A statement from the hotel said it has “implemented all health and operational recommendations from the health authorities to ensure the safety and wellbeing of customers and employees”.
The Republic’s Department of Foreign Affairs has said a number of Irish citizens staying near the hotel at the centre of a Covid-19 outbreak have been in contact.
It said the Irish embassy in Madrid is closely monitoring the situation and is in touch with local health and tourist authorities.