Mr Varadkar said he would consider seeking enforcement powers from the Irish legislature to ensure his government’s measures were followed.

“People who have been out this weekend should avoid physical contact with seniors or people with chronic diseases,” he wrote on Twitter.

“You could make them very very sick.”

UK’s lack of ventilators ‘result of decade of under-funding’

The UK’s lack of ventilators compared to other countries is “a result of a decade of under-funding”, the chairman of the British Medical Association has said.

“And now what, therefore, we need to do, is make some really decisive decisions on how that limited resource is used in the best possible way for those who are going to need it,” Dr Chaand Nagpaul told Sophy Ridge On Sunday.

“And that may require, and it should require actually, some major decisions on ceasing non-urgent routine care, a mass move towards many more consultations occurring remotely.”

Dr Nagpaul added: “One of the most immediate priorities of course is we don’t have enough doctors.

“Before the outbreak we were 10,000 doctors short, so we’re very worried and the doctors I represent are very concerned that they don’t, for example, have adequate protection.

“GPs, for example, have paper masks of a low effectiveness – they’re worried that when they’re seeing patients in their clinics at close proximity they might get infected and if they do, they’ll be off work.”

Austria imposes major restrictions on movement over pandemic

Austria has introduced major restrictions on movement in public places, urging citizens to self-isolate and banning gatherings of more than five people.

The restrictions on public movement will come into force on Monday, while restaurants will be ordered closed from Tuesday, when new restrictions on who can enter the country will also take effect, a government spokesperson said on Sunday.

“Austrians are being summoned to isolate themselves,” Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s office said in a statement.

“That means only making social contact with the people with whom they live.”

People should only leave the house for work that could not be postponed, to buy necessary food supplies and to help others, the government has said.

Gatherings of more than five people will only be allowed for activities serving to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

Austria has also expanded its list of countries from which it restricts entry by adding Britain, the Netherlands, Russia and Ukraine.

The government has said people from the list will only be able to enter if they undertake two weeks of home quarantine or have a current health certificate.

Trump ‘tests negative’ for coronavirus

“This evening I received confirmation that the test is negative,” Sean P Conley, the president’s physician, said.

“One week after having dinner with the Brazilian delegation in Mar-a-Lago, the president remains symptom-free.”

Our reporter, Andrew Buncombe, has the full story below:

Supermarkets call on public to ‘be considerate’ and stop panic buying

Major UK supermarkets have written an open letter calling on the British public to “be considerate” and refrain from panic buying as the coronavirus pandemic spreads.

In a letter addressed to customers, supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Lidl said they were doing everything in their power to make sure people get the “food and essentials” they need.

“We would ask everyone to be considerate in the way they shop,” the letter added.

“We understand your concerns but buying more than is needed can sometimes mean that others will be left without.

“There is enough for everyone if we all work together.”

Hancock: Modelling behind epidemic response will be published ‘in coming days’

The health secretary has said ministers will publish the modelling behind the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak in the coming days following criticism from parts of the scientific community.

Mr Hancock insisted on Sunday that scientific evidence was “absolutely critical” to the government’s response, which has differed from some other European countries.

When pressed on whether ministers would publish the information that has informed their plan, the health secretary said: “Our scientists are extremely busy and we’re working incredibly hard, but we will do that in the next couple of days.”

However, Mr Hancock denied that achieving “herd immunity” was a central part of the government’s policy for tackling the outbreak.

In response to criticism from some scientists and accusations that the government was playing “roulette” with public safety, he replied: “No, obviously.”

“Herd immunity is not our goal or policy, it’s a scientific concept. Our policy is to protect lives and to beat this virus,” he added.

Government response ‘risking more lives than necessary’

Last night, hundreds of scientists warned that the UK government was “risking many more lives than necessary” in its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

In an open letter published on Saturday, more than 295 academics called for stricter social distancing measures and criticised the government’s bid for so-called “herd immunity” against the virus.

“By putting in place social distancing measures now, the growth can be slowed down dramatically, and thousands of lives can be spared,” the letter said.

Our reporter, Peter Stubley, has the full story below:

‘No number is too high’: Government asking companies to build more ventilators, Hancock says

Mr Hancock has also said the government has been asking companies to start building ventilators to help the NHS cope with a sharp rise in coronavirus cases that is expected in the coming weeks.

“We start with around 5,000 ventilators, we think we need many times more than that and we are saying if you produce a ventilator then we will buy it,” the health secretary told Sky’s Sophy Ridge, when asked about the UK stocks of ventilators.

“No number is too high.”

He added: “They are relatively complicated pieces of kit, I couldn’t make one, but they’re not so complicated that the advanced manufacturing that this country is so good at now can’t be able to turn its production lines over to.”

The government has stressed that the thing the NHS needs most urgently is more ventilators to cope with rising demand.

“We’ve been buying as many as we can but we need to produce more too,” Mr Hancock said.

Over-70s to be asked to self-isolate for up to four months soon

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has said people aged over 70 will be asked to self-isolate for up to four months in the coming weeks in order to protect them from Covid-19.

Mr Hancock was asked on Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday about the plan, which was reported by journalists on Saturday night.

The health secretary replied: “That is in the action plan, yes, and we will be setting it out with more detail when it is the right time to do so because we absolutely appreciate that it is a very big ask of the elderly and the vulnerable, and it’s for their own self-protection.”

When asked exactly when the measure would be introduced, he said: “Certainly in the coming weeks, absolutely.”