The Italian Ambassador to Ireland, Paolo Serpi has said travel advice has not been issued to Italian citizens who may come to Ireland this weekend, despite the cancellation of the Ireland vs Italy Six Nations game.

Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Mr Serpi said the situation "across Italy is being monitored very closely" but he urged people not to "over dramatise."

"Authorities are telling people that if they have symptoms they should not travel but we should not become hysterical."

He added: "We should not over dramatise, when we get over dramatic we risk making mistakes and this is simply silly because we are in a good framework. We are in a country well equipped in terms of public health. We are in the European Union, and we are responsible for each other. It is a serious situation but we don't want to transform it in to a drama when it is not a drama."

He said northern Italy has close connections with China due to strong links in the textile trade.