A decontamination exercise was carried out at Dublin's Mater Hospital on Tuesday after a woman presented with a suspected case of the Chinese coronavirus.
The woman had recently returned from China and the exercise was carried out after she presented with a fever.
In a statement, the hospital said she was assessed and the virus was "quickly and effectively ruled out."
It confirmed that there is no case of the coronavirus at the hospital and said it is closely following guidance from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) on how to respond to any suspected cases.
Lockdown
Meanwhile, China has issued travel restrictions for three cities in the area the virus originated.
Overnight, Beijing effectively sealed off the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.
Authorities have closed down public transport and suspended planes and trains in and out in the city, which has a population of 11 million. Residents are being urged not to leave unless there are special circumstances.
Officials have also now moved to close off the city of Huanggang – which is around 50km to the east of Wuhan and home to around seven million people.
Bus and train services have been suspended and entertainment venues, including cinemas and instructed to close their doors.
Rail stations have been shut in Ezhou, which has about one million residents.
Wuhan
The World Health Organisation is meeting again today to decide whether to declare the outbreak a global emergency.
The virus has been detected in the US – while other cases have been diagnosed in Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Everyone who has been detected with the virus up to now had recently visited the city of Wuhan.
Gauden Galea, WHO China representative said: “To my knowledge, trying to contain a city of 11 million people is new to science.”
“It has not been tried before as a public health measure. We cannot at this stage say it will or it will not work.”
“Evolving and complex"
The body has described the outbreak as an “evolving and complex situation” with a decision on the announcement due later today.
It is believed the virus came from illegally-trafficked animals in a well-known seafood market in Wuhan.
Symptoms of the condition include fever, coughing and difficulty breathing. It has the potential to lead to more deadly conditions including pneumonia and kidney failure.
All but two of the people confirmed dead so far were over the age of 60. Ten had pre-existing conditions.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is not advising travellers to change their plans regarding China with the risk of tourists contracting the disease remaining low.
Screening for the condition is in place at many major airports around the world and Britain and Australia have warned citizens to avoid the city.
Coronavirus
Coronaviruses are known to cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Chinese officials have confirmed that this latest strain is a ‘novel coronavirus’ and is different from other outbreaks. It does not respond to antibiotics.
The SARS outbreak of 2003/03 caused nearly 800 deaths.
