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An Irish naval vessel is being transformed into a Covid-19 testing center.<\/p>\nAn Irish naval vessel is being transformed into a Covid-19 testing center.<\/p>\n
The LE Samuel Beckett is berthed at Sir John Rogerson\u2019s Quay on the Liffey River in Dublin city center.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of cases of the virus have been recorded in Ireland.<\/p>\n
Army engineers provided power and lighting for the vessel, while others erected tents along the quayside close to the central bank.<\/p>\n
It is part of a major effort by the Defence Forces to support the health service\u2019s response to the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
On Friday, President Michael D Higgins signed into law emergency health legislation giving the power to impose detention and other measures.<\/p>\n
The country has taken strong measures on social distancing to try to curb rising numbers of those contracting the virus.<\/p>\n
But large numbers of young people were seen socializing in Temple Bar despite a high-profile warning against gatherings a short time earlier from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.<\/p>\n
Under the new law, the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020, the authorities can order people to stay indoors, close down non-essential businesses, cancel events and have the ability to impose targeted restrictions on specific areas of the country.<\/p>\n