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23:00 11/06/2020
FAI hails ‘productive’ talks but some LOI clubs left underwhelmed by resumption plans
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SPORTSFILE
The FAI has labelled talks today with League of Ireland clubs on a return to action as “productive.”
But multiple club sources have indicated to Independent.ie that they were underwhelmed by the plans discussed.
Abbotstown officials did not present definitive proposals, and instead indicated that clarity would be dependent on the outcome of further discussions.
FAI officials will initially meet with the four European representatives Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers, Derry City and Bohemians before convening with the rest of the league clubs tomorrow.
A FAI statement read: “The Football Association of Ireland today held a productive meeting with the 19 SSE Airtricity League clubs to discuss the return to action for the League.
22:40 11/06/2020
Irish Ferries operator reports 60pc fall in passenger numbers
Ellie Donnelly
ICG, the operator of Irish Ferries, has reported a 60pc drop in passenger numbers for the first six months of this year, as measures taken to limit the spread of Covid-19 impacted travel.
Car volumes are down 62pc, according to an update from the group.
ICG said it is “very difficult” to estimate the full year financial impact on the group, “as the reduction in passenger revenue will be material.”
The severity of this reduction in passenger revenue is dependent on the duration and nature of travel restrictions particularly over the peak summer season, it added.
The company said the current Irish Government position, of asking people from Britain who visit Ireland to self-isolate for two weeks, is not consistent with that of the British Government who do not require people travelling to Britain from Ireland to self-isolate.
22:20 11/06/2020
Busy shops and packed buses as Sao Paulo reopens amid coronavirus pandemic
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AP/PA Images
Retail shops have reopened after a two-month pandemic shutdown in Brazil’s biggest city, leading to crowded public transport and many people ignoring social distancing rules.
Sao Paulo mayor Bruno Covas authorised the restart of commerce between 11am and 3pm as long as shops require customers to use masks and limit those allowed inside.
Brazil is among the South American countries hit hardest by the pandemic, with about 39,000 deaths according to official figures.
Sao Paulo state is approaching 10,000 deaths from Covid-19, with about half of those in the metropolis of 12 million residents.
On Wednesday, the state reported a record 24-hour increase to its death toll, 340 people – surpassing a record set just the previous day.
22:00 11/06/2020
Revealed: Government announces €75m childcare package to prevent providers charging higher fees
Anne-Marie Walsh
A €75m childcare support package that aims to stop providers from charging higher fees has been announced.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone, said a reduced number of children are likely to attend services in the initial weeks after services reopen on June 29.
The support package is designed to enable providers to operate with less parental income, while the costs of providing childcare are expected to increase.
Around 1,800 services normally open during the summer of the total 4,500 childcare services in the state.
Minister Zappone said the package will ensure providers will not have to charge higher fees than they did pre Covid-19, even though the costs of providing childcare will increase.
21:40 11/06/2020
EU urges states to reopen domestic borders from Monday
The European Union has urged all member countries to start lifting travel restrictions on their common borders from next week, saying the closures they introduced to tackle coronavirus do little to limit its spread.
The EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, wants Europe’s ID check-free travel area to be up and running again by the end of June. Once that has happened, a ban on non-essential travel to the continent can also gradually be eased.
Unveiling the recommendations for helping to breathe new life into Europe’s virus-ravaged tourism sector, EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson told member countries that they “should open up as soon as possible, and the commission recommends to do it already on Monday”.
Ms Johansson said that the virus situation “is really improving in all member states, the situation is converging”, and she said that Europe’s Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has reported “that having internal border restrictions is not an effective measure”.
21:20 11/06/2020
Ireland is at risk of significant virus resurgence, expert warns
Eilish O’Regan
Ireland is at risk of a significant resurgence of the coronavirus and care must be taken to avoid the infection being brought by people from one county to another post-lockdown, the expert tracking the disease here warned yesterday.
Prof Philip Nolan of Maynooth University also revealed that for every one person detected with the virus, there is at least one other person with the infection but without symptoms.
There is a chance we could see “small second waves”.
The warning comes as another eight deaths were confirmed today, bringing the death toll to 1,703.
21:00 11/06/2020
Resurgence of virus threatens South Korea’s success story
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A resurgence of infections in the Seoul region, where half of South Korea’s 51 million people live, is threatening the country’s success story in the battle against coronavirus.
Just weeks ago, South Korea was celebrating its hard-won gains against Covid-19, easing social distancing, reopening schools and promoting a tech-driven anti-virus campaign that President Moon Jae-in has called “K-quarantine”.
But the new cases have prompted health authorities to warn that action must be taken now to stop a second wave.
South Korea’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 45 new cases on Thursday, a daily rise that has been fairly consistent since late May. Most have been in the Seoul metropolitan area, where health authorities have struggled to trace transmissions.
“Considering the quick transmission of Covid-19, there’s limits to what we can do with contact tracing alone to slow the spread,” said Yoon Taeho, a senior Health Ministry official during a virus briefing, where he repeated a plea for residents in the capital area to stay at home.
Despite the concerns over the spike in infections, government officials have so far resisted calls to reimpose stronger social distancing guidelines after they were relaxed in April, citing concerns over hurting a fragile economy.
20:40 11/06/2020
Doctor in India warns of ‘ticking time bomb’ in fight against coronavirus
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AP/PA Images
India reported a record of nearly 10,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday with health services in the worst-hit cities of Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai swamped by the rising infections.
India’s tally has reached 286,579 confirmed cases, the fifth highest in the world, with 8,102 deaths, including 357 in the last 24 hours.
The spike comes as the government moved ahead with the reopening of restaurants, shopping centres and places of worship in most of India after a lockdown of more than two months. Subways, hotels and schools remain closed.
The actual infection numbers are thought to be higher because of limited testing.
The Health Ministry said it was ramping up the capacity with daily testing of more than 145,000 people. The number of tests in India crossed five million on Wednesday.
It also said that the total number of recovered patients has exceeded the active cases for the first time, with the recovery rate of nearly 49pc.
20:20 11/06/2020
Dublin and Cork airports advise face coverings, but no temperature checks for now
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Stricter rules on people arriving into ports and airports from abroad are being examined. Photo: Mark Condren
Pól Ó Conghaile
Passengers using Dublin and Cork airports have been strongly advised to wear face masks, and only people travelling should enter terminals.
That’s according to new guidelines issued by daa, the company operating the airports, aiming to protect health and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Both Dublin and Cork have implemented enhanced cleaning measures, daa says, with a particular focus on “key contact surfaces” such as security trays, self-service kiosks, escalator handrails and trolleys.
960 hand sanitisers have been introduced, with 720 protective plexiglass screens erected at areas like check-in, security, shops, restaurants and bars.
Socially distanced seating is in place, with “10,500 pieces of COVID-19 related signage” indicating everything from queue spacing to occupancy limits for bathrooms and lifts.
Temperature checks or Covid-19 tests are not mentioned: “This is a decision for the national health authorities rather than the airport,” a spokesperson told the Irish Independent.
20:00 11/06/2020
Dr Tony Holohan: Compliance with face-covering guidance not good enough
Compliance with face-covering guidance is not good enough, Ireland’s chief medical officer said.
The protective materials should used on public transport and in shops, official advice urged.
The next fortnight will be critical in limiting coronavirus transmission, an expert modelling its spread said.
Dr Tony Holohan said: “Compliance has not been maybe where we would like it to be. We would like to redouble our efforts.”
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has recommended the implementation of a national communications campaign to increase compliance with recommendations on use of face-coverings.
Dr Holohan said: “The campaign will outline best practice for use of face coverings in retail outlets, on public transport and in other public locations, where it may be difficult to maintain social distancing.”
19:40 11/06/2020
Reopening of hairdressers to be confirmed next week – health minister
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PA
The reopening date of hairdressers and barbers will be confirmed next week as Government awaits further advice from the National Public Health and Emergency Team (NPHET).
Minister for Health Simon Harris told the Dail that NPHET met on Thursday to discuss the country’s third and fourth phase as part of the country’s plan to reopen the economy and society.
Many in the hairdressing sector have called for the reopening of the establishments to be brought forward to June 29, in line with the third phase.
The Irish Hairdresser’s Federation has published a series of measures that can be implemented to protect staff and clients.
19:20 11/06/2020
Coronavirus study finds as many as 80pc of positive cases do not show symptoms
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AFP via Getty Images
The Health Secretary said as many as 80pc of people who tested positive for coronavirus during a study of the pandemic in England had not displayed any symptoms.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been carrying out a survey using swab testing to determine how many people from across the country at any one time are infected with Covid-19.
In the vast majority of cases, said Matt Hancock, those who had tested positive had not been presenting any symptoms.
Speaking at the daily Downing Street briefing, the Cabinet minister said: “The big-picture answer is that yes there are some people who don’t have symptoms but do have the virus.
19:00 11/06/2020
‘Nobody should get on public transport without a mask full stop,’ Dáil told
Cormac McQuinn
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Communications with the public on the use of face masks as part of efforts to fight the spread of Covid-19 have been “an absolute and chronic disaster” it has been claimed.
Labour leader Alan Kelly made the claim in the Dáil and said “nobody should get on public transport without a mask full stop”.
Health Minister Simon Harris later admitted the messaging has been “confused”.
There has been very few people using face coverings on public transport and in shops despite the public health advice that they should be worn.
Mr Kelly raised the issue with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and said everyone in the country should be contacted about the use of facemasks.
18:40 11/06/2020
UK Beer sales fall to record low as lockdown closes pubs
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Ireland’s drink industry has been struck by Covid-19, mainly as a result of the stalled on-trade sector across the world. (Stock image)
Beer sales have slumped to the lowest level on record, sparking fresh calls for Government help to “get Britain brewing again”.
Around 1.5 billion pints were sold in the first quarter of the year, the lowest since records began 20 years ago.
The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) said the fall was entirely down to less beer being sold in pubs and bars, even though the figures only cover the start of the economic lockdown.
The trade association called on the UK Government to give the sector a “definitive pathway” to reopening from July 4, adding that pubs will need a minimum of three weeks’ notice to allow them time to make preparations.
18:20 11/06/2020
Northern Ireland’s shopping centres given green light to reopen
Shopping centres and all other retailers will be able to reopen in a significant relaxation of lockdown restrictions, Northern Ireland’s economy minister said.
Smaller traders with entrances from the street had already been due to lift their shutters on Friday.
Larger premises like home furniture giant Ikea have been trading with social distancing in place since June 1.
Diane Dodds said: “All of retail will be open.”
18:05 11/06/2020
Breakdown of latest figures
Latest data from the HPSC, as of midnight on Tuesday 9 (25,230 cases), reveals:
- 57pc are female and 43pc are male
- The median age of confirmed cases is 48 years
- 3,307 cases (13pc) have been hospitalised
- Of those hospitalised, 412 cases have been admitted to ICU
- 8,114 cases are associated with healthcare workers
- Dublin has the highest number of cases at 12,167 (48pc of all cases) followed by Cork with 1,532 cases (6pc) and then Kildare with 1,426 cases (6pc)
- Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 38pc, close contact accounts for 60pc, travel abroad accounts for 2pc
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: “The reproductive number has remained stable, between 0.4 and 0.8 over a number of weeks.
“The next two weeks are now critical in limiting transmission, keeping the r-number low and suppressing the virus. It is how we interact, as we go about our daily lives more freely, that will determine whether the r-number increases.”
17:50 11/06/2020
Eight more related deaths as more cases of Covid-19 registered
Dr Tony Holohan has announced that eight further cases of Covid-19 have been registered in Ireland.
This brings the total number of cases here to 25,238.
The death toll of the virus has also risen to 1,703 after eight more Covid-19-related deaths were reported today.
Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said: “NPHET has recommended the development and implementation of a national communications campaign to increase compliance with current recommendations on the use of face-coverings.
“The campaign will outline best practice for use of face coverings in retail outlets, on public transport and in other public locations, where it may be difficult to maintain social distancing.”
17:35 11/06/2020
Nearly 18,000 fines issued in UK for coronavirus rule breaches
Nearly 18,000 fines have been handed out to people in the UK for alleged breaches of coronavirus lockdown rules, with the numbers falling as restrictions are eased.
A total of 17,997 fixed penalty notices (FPNs), including 15,715 in England and 2,282 in Wales, were recorded by forces up to June 8, according to provisional data released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) on Thursday.
Some 1,526 tickets were issued in England since Covid-19 restrictions were first eased on May 13 with just 161 handed out from June 1, when groups of six people were allowed to meet outdoors.
There were 523 fines in the latest two-week period between May 26 and June 8 – although the figure could be revised upwards as more fines are reported – compared to 1,171 in the previous fortnight and 4,796 in the two weeks before that.
The NPCC said fines have been handed to people for driving with others who are not members of their household, house parties, large gatherings and camping.
15:15 11/06/2020
Covid-19: Irish made decontamination wipe awarded nearly €2m in funding from European Commission
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Professor Lokesh Joshi: ‘wipes valuable in fight against virus’
Tom Brady
A decontamination wipe conceived by ordnance officers in the Defence Forces has received funding worth almost €2m from the European Commission to help fight the spread of the coronavirus.
It follows approval for the wipe last week from the United States Food and Drug Administration.
The ground-breaking Anti-Bioagent Wipe (ABwipe) is one of 36 products selected by the European Innovation Council from over 1,400 relevant applications to receive accelerator funding totalling €166m.
It was designed by Irish company, Aquila Bioscience, in collaboration with the Ordnance Corps, whose members have been involved in the concept and product trials.
16:55 11/06/2020
Facebook scales back ad ban allowing non-medical masks to be listed again
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A couple wearing face masks shopping in Dublin’s Henry Street (Niall Carson/PA)
Facebook has scaled back some of its advertising rules in relation to coronavirus, allowing non-medical masks to appear once more.
The social network temporarily tightened controls over ads in March, banning listings for masks to help protect users against scams, misleading medical claims, medical supply shortages, inflated prices and hoarding.
In light of guidance on the need to wear face coverings by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the company has decided to permit third-party businesses to advertise non-medical face coverings again.
It comes as face coverings are set to be made compulsory for people wanting to travel on public transport in England to limit the spread of Covid-19 from June 15, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are recommending their use.
The revision of Facebook’s rules means businesses can advertise non-medical masks “including those that are homemade or handmade, in organic posts, ads and commerce listings on Facebook and Instagram”, the firm said.
But medical masks, such as surgical or N95 masks, would remain banned in a bid to “prevent people from exploiting the pandemic for financial gain”.
16:35 11/06/2020
Fewer students say degree is ‘good value for money’ amid Covid-19 and strikes
Fewer university students think they are getting their money’s worth because of the Covid-19 pandemic and industrial action, a survey suggests.
The proportion of undergraduate students reporting that their course is good or very good value for money has dropped to 39pc from 41pc last year, new research has found.
Students, who pay up to £9,250 (€10,278) in tuition fees, say strikes and Covid-19 have had a negative impact on their experience due to a loss of contact hours.
Third-year students had lectures and seminars cancelled in their freshers year and have been hit twice by strikes this academic year. The disruption has prompted demands for tuition fee refunds.
The study, based on a poll of more than 10,000 undergraduates, found students who completed the survey after March 16 – around the time face-to-face teaching was reduced – were less positive in their perceptions of value for money than those surveyed earlier on.
16:15 11/06/2020
70pc rise in number of patients sent to nursing homes as virus loomed
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Catherine Fegan
Hundreds of patients were transferred from hospitals into nursing homes as the coronavirus loomed on the horizon in March.
The HSE increased the number of patients it approved for transfer between acute hospitals into private nursing homes by almost 70pc that month, compared to the same period last year, despite Covid-19 risks.
However, there remain several unanswered questions about the transfer of hospital patients into nursing homes.
Full story here:
15:55 11/06/2020
Covid-19 has shifted narrative around homeworking, say equality campaigners
Despite the stresses and strains, 80pc of families have enjoyed spending extra time together as a result of lockdown, according to a survey.
Gender equality campaigners now predict the pandemic could lead to more fathers calling for greater flexibility from their employer so they can spend more time at home.
Research conducted by parenting website Mumsnet found 70% of parents are now re-evaluating what is important, while 76% of children said they had enjoyed the extra family time.
A survey of 1,034 site users with at least one child between May 22 to May 31 on behalf of travel firm Luxury Family Hotels revealed 67pc of families think lockdown has brought them closer together.
15:35 11/06/2020
‘Employee and customer safety the highest priority’ – Penneys re-opens in Ireland from tomorrow
Mícheál Ó Scannáil
Penneys will re-open its stores with street access tomorrow, while stores located in shopping centres will re-open on June 15.
“Employee and customer safety are the highest priority in our preparations for re-opening,” according to Penneys who say they are closely following all government safety advice .
“Rigorous health and safety measures” will be put in place in all stores, including a strict social distancing protocol, personal protection for employees and customers and increased in-store cleaning. Full details of the measures we will introduce in every store can be found below.
All Penneys products will be available in store as usual at normal prices from tomorrow in 16 Penneys stores with street access which will open tomorrow, and the remaining 20 stores located in shopping centres across Ireland which will open on Monday 15 June.
The 16 Penneys stores with street access opening next Friday June 12 are: Dublin’s Mary Street and O’Connell Street, Dun Laoghaire, Wexford, Sligo, Kilkenny, Limerick, Drogheda, Newbridge, Waterford, Tralee, Cork, Clonmel, Swords, Ballina and Killarney.
The remaining 20 stores opening on Monday June 15 are: Dundrum, Blanchardstown, Liffey Valley, Nutgrove, Santry, Artane, Navan, Mullingar, Portlaoise, Ennis, Dooradoyle, Letterkenny, Galway shopping centre, Galway Eyre Square, Longford, Castlebar, Athlone, Dundalk Marshes, Wilton and Carlow temporary store.
15:15 11/06/2020
Coronavirus response ‘is harming ethnic minorities and migrants’
The response to the coronavirus outbreak is harming ethnic minorities and migrants, health experts have warned.
The severity of Covid-19 and the risk of poor health related to the policies and actions responding to the pandemic are all increased in minority groups, according to the researchers.
Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, they say many migrant groups, especially those without documents, are less likely to seek help, or may seek help later once the disease has progressed.
Lead author Dr Delan Devakumar, of the Institute for Global Health at University College London, said: “Black, Asian and minority ethnic and migrant groups have a greater risk of contracting Covid-19 infection, as they are more likely to live in poor and overcrowded accommodation and do precarious forms of work or work in the gig economy.
“They are also more likely to get a severe form of the infection.”
The authors say that for many people from black, Asian and minority ethnic and migrant groups, stopping work is not just an inconvenience, it is impossible.
14.01 11/06/2020
Dundrum Town Centre to re-open on Monday June 15
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Hammerson co-owns Dundrum Town Centre
Dundrum Town Centre has announced that it will re-open on June 15 with a range of safety measures, including a one-way system and live footfall monitoring.
Selected restaurant brands will continue to be available for takeaway and delivery, dine-in options to be made available in the coming weeks.
Dedicated shopping hours for the over 70s and those who are medically vulnerable will also be arranged.
The range of safety measures includes a one way system throughout the centre, signage throughout the centre reminding customers to keep their distance, hand sanitiser stations and customers will be encouraged to wear face coverings.
Footfall will be monitored live and queues will be introduced outside the centre “to manage capacity”.
Customers will be encouraged to use contactless payment with retailers for transactions and some entrances may be closed for a short time if the centre reaches capacity.
Don Nugent, Centre Director at Dundrum said: “It has been a really challenging time for everyone and we are hugely grateful to the key workers that have done so much over the past few months.
“We ask that people be patient with us though, as the way we shop is going to be different for a while and visits might take longer than usual. We can’t wait to re-open and to welcome back our customers.”
WHO stresses importance of wearing masks
Aine McMahon, PA
Ireland must move from “should do to must do” when it comes to the message on wearing face coverings, the World Health Organisation’s special convoy on Covid-19 has said.
It comes as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government will step up an information campaign about the wearing of face coverings.
Dr David Nabarro said the effectiveness of face coverings to prevent against Covid-19 is contested among the scientific community, but he said they should be worn on public transport as there is close contact between people.
He also said it is “really necessary” for people who work in close proximity to others to wear face coverings.
The WHO envoy told an Oireachtas committee: “People may well be able to transmit the virus before they develop symptoms of the disease and they may not know they are sick and may not go and self-isolate. So the use of face coverings is really necessary in situations where individuals are likely to be exposed to a lot of illness such as bus drivers, till workers and security guards.”
He acknowledged the WHO’s current guidance on face coverings could be clearer.
“To be totally candid with you… that WHO guidance for me is not as clear as I wish it would be. The reason is this is an area where there is a massive amount of disagreement.
Taoiseach: Ireland must prepare for imported cases as it cannot close itself off
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Leo Varadkar said Ireland must be ready to contain any Covid-19 spread as it reopens its borders (PA)
Aine McMahon, PA
Ireland cannot close off from the rest of the world and must prepare for the risk of imported cases of coronavirus, the Taoiseach has said.
It comes as the European Union sets out a plan on Thursday for member states to reopen their borders.
Leo Varadkar said the Government’s strategy is not one of mitigation, but of suppression when it comes to coronavirus and all risk cannot be eliminated.
He said: “Ireland’s goal is still trying to get the reproductive number to zero if possible by keeping the R number well below one. Unfortunately no strategy utterly insulates us from the risk of the virus re-emerging in our society.
“We share an open border with Northern Ireland which has unrestricted travel with Great Britain. Closing ourselves off is not an option for Ireland in the medium to long-term. We need to be prepared for the risk of imported cases as we reopen slowly to other countries.”
Mr Varadkar said the easing of restrictions has not enabled the virus to make a comeback “so far”, and the country is on course to fully reopen at the end of July.
12.47 11/06/2020
More than 82,000 have returned to work since Covid-19 restrictions started to lift
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Liz Canavan (Brian Lawless/PA)
Reports political correspondent Cormac McQuinn
MORE than 82,000 people have returned to work since the country began to reopen from coronavirus restrictions.
But 515,700 were still out of work last week and getting the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payement (PUP).
The latest figures were provided by senior government official Liz Canavan today.
Of the 82,500 back in work, 36,000 returned to jobs in the last week.
Construction workers and retail staff are among the groups returning to the workplace.
The PUP payments are costing around €190m per week.
Separately more than 60,000 employers are registered with Revenue to participate int he government’s Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) to help businesses who have been badly impacted by the pandemic.
Over 527,300 employees’ salaries have been supported by the TWSS.
The scheme has cost €1.4bn so far.
Crèches banned from hiking fees if they claim State supports
Anne-Marie Walsh, Cormac McQuinn, Hugh O’Connell report that childcare providers claiming new State supports will be banned from hiking parents’ fees when they reopen later this month.
11.25 11/06/2020
Tell Irish people they must wear face coverings against Covid-19 – World Health Organisation envoy to TDs
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PA
Ireland should tell people they “must” wear a face covering against Covid-19 and not just “should”, a leading World Health Organisation (WHO) official said today.
Dr David Nabarro, WHO’s Special Envoy on Covid-19 said he was also in favour of bus drivers, security staff and other workers wearing coverings.
He was a strong advocate of face coverings in areas like transport, shops and other places where people cannot physically distance, he told the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response.
10.35 11/06/2020
‘British death toll could have been halved if the lockdown was enforced a week earlier’
Britain’s death toll from Covid-19 could have been halved if the lockdown had been introduced a week earlier, a former member of the UK government’s scientific advisory group said yesterday.
Britain has an official death toll from confirmed Covid-19 cases of more than 40,000, rising to more than 50,000 cases when deaths from suspected cases are included.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed the lockdown on March 23.
Young adults suffer greatest decline in happiness during Covid-19 pandemic
New data has revealed an 80pc decrease in the number of young adults aged 18-34 who would rate their overall life satisfaction as ‘high’ in April this year compared to 2018.
Figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed more than four in 10 younger adults reported that the pandemic had a negative financial impact on them, in comparison to two in 10 of respondents aged 70 and over.
09.31 11/06/2020
70pc rise in number of patients sent to nursing homes as virus loomed
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Getty Images/EyeEm
Hundreds of patients were transferred from hospitals into nursing homes as the coronavirus loomed on the horizon in March, reports special correspondent Catherine Fegan
Woodie’s sales last month ‘comfortably exceed’ prior year despite being open only two weeks
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Woodies team member Ryan Cromwell tries to jump over the 2 meter distancing stencil on the floor at the Woodies.
Sales at Woodie’s in the last two weeks in May “comfortably exceed” the level achieved for the full month last year on the back of favourable weather and pent up demand from consumers.
Sales of garden furniture, barbeques, shrubs and plants and exterior paint and woodcare products in Ireland were “exceptional.”
This is according to a trading update from the company’s owner Grafton Group.
08.38 11/06/2020
Hairdressers and beauticians to reopen from June 29, four weeks earlier than planned
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AP/PA Images
HAIRDRESSERS and barbers are expected to be allowed reopen from June 29.
The Government is expected to accelerate the reopening of hairdressers, subject to Covid-19 remaining suppressed, and will now allow them to reopen from the end of this month.
Beauticians may also be allowed to reopen early under the plans.
The original reopening roadmap envisaged them remaining shut until phase four on July 20 but they are now expected to reopen in phase three.
The move, first reported in the Sunday Independent at the weekend, comes after heavy lobbying from the sector which has argued it has sufficient safety and public health protocols in place.
The Irish Hairdresser’s Federation (IHF) has proposed a number of safety measures including pre-booked appointments only, extensive use of PPE by staff and customers and sanitation of workstations after each customer.
Culture Minister Josepha Madigan argued at Cabinet last month that hairdressers, barbers and beauticians be allowed open in phase three and the sector has met with Business Minister Heather Humphreys in recent weeks.
08.13 11/06/2020
Average number of close contacts rises to 3.5
Reports Gabija Gataveckaite
The average number of close contacts per case has risen to 3.5, according to the latest HSE contact tracing statistics.
The highest average was six, which peaked in early April – however, the number of close contacts has been steadily rising since restrictions were eased.
The average recently spiked above five and currently stands at 3.5, which means that for every confirmed coronavirus case, it is associated with 3.5 close contacts which must also be tested.
The average had streamlines at 2 during the month of May, however, it has been rising in recent weeks.
07.10 11/06/2020
Loss-making hotels ‘will shut for winter without State help’
Swathes of the hotel and restaurant industry will shut when the summer season ends unless the State underwrites loss-making business through autumn and winter, a senior adviser to the sector has warned.
Turnover in the hospitality sector is expected to be down at least 40pc for 12 months after it is allowed to reopen, according to Aiden Murphy, partner at accountancy firm Crowe who advises companies across the sector.
In January, he correctly predicted a swathe of liquidations in the restaurant sector having observed stress from rising taxes, rents and competition.
‘Two-metre rule is crazy and will shut me down,’ warns Michelin star chef
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Andrew Downes, XPOSURE
When chef and restaurateur JP McMahon got Galway’s first Michelin star for his eatery Aniar in 2013, it was a dream moment to relish for the family-run business, writes Melanie Finn.
Thousands in Sligo and Dublin to give blood samples for virus antibody tests
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PA
Thousands of people in Sligo and Dublin will be chosen to be the first groups in the country to provide blood samples to find out if they were infected with Covid-19, reports health correspondent Eilish O’Regan.
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