40,000 applicants have signed up for the HSE's "On Call For Ireland" initiative so far.
Any health care professional who is not already working in the public health service is being asked to help out in the fight against coronavirus here.
It is anticipated that many additional hospital and care beds will be needed to deal with this outbreak.
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557 people here are now infected with coronavirus.
The number jumped by 191 confirmed cases in the latest figures released on Thursday - up 52% in just 24 hours.
Two women and one man have also died from COVID-19.
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Up to 70 Irish passengers have been stranded in the Spanish holiday resort of Fuerteventura.
They were prevented from boarding a Ryanair flight to Dublin on Thursday.
Many of them claim that the airline had over booked the flight, but did not communicate this with them until it came time for boarding.
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319 new members of the Gardaí will be attested in Tipperary later.
Many of the recruits will be required to go back to Templemore after the COVID-19 emergency is over to complete their training.
However, this cohort will have full powers of other members of the force and will be deployed across the country.
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Schools will close across Northern Ireland today, for what could be months, over the coronavirus pandemic.
The region's school exams - GCSEs and A-Levels - which should have been sat this summer have been cancelled.
It means an uncertain time for many parents.
