All schools, colleges and childcare facilities in Ireland are set to be shut down tomorrow until the end of the month, the country's leader Leo Varadkar has said.

Varadkar announced that the measures - aimed at combating the spread of coronavirus - will come into effect at 6pm today and remain in place until March 29.

Schools, colleges and childcare facilities will be closed from Friday, he advised.

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Mr Varadkar also said that indoor gatherings of more than 100 people and outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled.

Yesterday, a report from the World Health Organization yesterday confirmed that the global COVID-19 outbreak is now being officially recognized as a pandemic:

"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction.

"We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.

"Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death."

As of yesterday's report, there have now been more than 118,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives.

This is a developing story, more to follow...

All schools and colleges in Ireland to close amid coronavirus spread