Irish PM Varadkar to return to medicine during coronavirus crisis

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar will return to work as a medical practitioner during the coronavirus crisis.

Varadkar, who worked as a doctor before going into politics, has re-registered as a medical practitioner and offered to work one session per week in areas that are within his scope of expertise, a spokesperson for his office told RTÉ news Sunday.

“Many of his family and friends are working in the health service. He wanted to help out even in a small way,” the spokesperson said.

The Irish Times reported that he would be helping out with phone assessments: People who may have been exposed to the virus in Ireland are first assessed over the phone rather than in person, in order to reduce the spread.