Four people on the island of Ireland have been diagnosed with Covid-19 this evening.

In the Republic, the HSE's National Public Health Emergency Team said  earlier this evening a male patient in the east of the country was infected.

Then the Department of Health in Northern Ireland announced three more people had tested positive.

Testing of patients in Northern Ireland has resulted in three new presumptive positive results for coronavirus (Covid-19) bringing the total to seven since testing began #covid https://t.co/R0VKYq0OFd pic.twitter.com/gfuwc6IRFB

— Department of Health (@healthdpt) March 7, 2020

All four cases, north and south of the border, are linked with travel to Italy, and public health doctors in both jurisdictions are carrying out contact tracing.

There are now 19 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland and seven cases in the North.

"The HSE is working rapidly to identify any contacts the patient may have had, to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread," the HSE said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the National Public Health Emergency Team met today to develop new guidelines on managing healthcare workers who've been in close contact with a Covid-19 patient.

All staff who've come into contact with a confirmed case will be excluded from work if they develop symptoms.

But if there are staff shortages at a healthcare facility, those deemed essential workers may continue to work under strict control measures as long as they don't develop symptoms.

“COVID-19, as with other infectious diseases, creates risk to patient care in two ways - the risk of transmission from an infected health care worker and the risk of serious impact on patient care by loss of significant numbers of essential staff,” the Department of Health's Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said.

The new guidelines are now in force at Cork University Hospital and Limerick Hospital.