DUBLIN, March 1 (Xinhua) -- More disruptions to pubic life have been reported in Ireland as heavy snowfalls driven by gusty winds continued to lash the country on Thursday.
All flights coming in and out of the Dublin airport were reportedly cancelled on Thursday afternoon and local airlines including Ryanair said that they will not resume flights at the airport until Saturday
Airport in Cork, the country's second largest city after Dublin, was also closed. Hundreds of passengers stranded at the Cork airport on Wednesday had to sleep on the floors at the airport terminal as all the nearby hotel rooms were booked out, said local media.
All the public transport in Dublin has come to a virtual standstill. The tram service in the city was suspended on Thursday noon after it had managed to run for one and a half days since the start of the snowstorm on early Wednesday. The city's bus service was suspended on the very first day of the snowstorm. Both tram and bus services will not be resumed until Saturday, said the city authorities.
More and more private and public services were closed on Thursday while all the schools in the snowstorm-hit areas in the country will remain closed from Wednesday till next Monday.
The heath department of the government has called hospitals in the affected areas to cancel all the outpatient treatment and not urgent surgeries. Local residents have been advised not to use ambulance service unless of absolute need.
Stock market in the country has also been closed for Thursday and Friday.
While the main roads in the country still remain operational, traffic police said that driving on the roads is extremely dangerous as zero visibility has been recorded in some sections of the roads.
So far no fatal traffic accidents have been reported in the snowstorm, nor are there any reports about the snowstorm-related deaths.
To help those homeless people, the government has provided extra beds for rough sleepers in the snowstorm-affected areas.
To prevent the possible flooding caused by high tides, the government has directed concerned departments to prepare enough sandbags while putting the country's defense forces on standby for any untoward situations.
A national emergency coordination group has been set up under the government to tackle the on-going snowstorm which has never been seen in the country in the last 36 years.
Local meteorological department has issued a red weather warning for the entire country, which will remain in place from late Wednesday night till Friday afternoon.
Officials with the department predicted that the snowfall will continue to accumulate with some areas likely to receive one-meter-deep snow on the ground. Temperatures will drop to record lows in some areas, they added.
