LAST UPDATE | 31 Dec 2021
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day
1. Following a 10-year campaign for State assistance with their crumbling houses, Mica-affected homeowners are still battling for a redress scheme that will make repairs genuinely affordable.
An initial scheme launched just ahead of the pandemic was quickly deemed inaccessible due to costs to homeowners amounting to tens of thousands of euro and a so-called enhanced scheme in November this year has been widely rejected for similar reasons.
As they head into another year in their damaged homes, campaigners are reflecting on what they have achieved over the last decade and preparing for battle again in 2022.
In today’s lead story, Michelle Hennessy speaks to Ann Owens, Eileen Doherty and Paddy Diver about their lengthy campaign and how they managed to intensify it during a global pandemic.
2. The Department of Health has released updated guidelines regarding PCR and antigen testing as well as changes to the amount of days those positive for Covid have to self-isolate.
Symptomatic individuals aged four to 39 years should self-isolate immediately and undertake regular antigen tests rather than booking a PCR test. Anyone with an antigen test which detects COVID-19 should seek a confirmatory PCR test.
Those with repeated ‘not detected’ antigen tests should continue to self-isolate until 48 hours after their symptoms have resolved. Symptomatic healthcare workers should continue to seek a PCR test.
3. Public health officials have confirmed an additional 20,554 cases of Covid-19 in Ireland – another record daily figure. As of 8am yesterday, 619 people were in hospital with the virus, 88 of whom were in intensive care.
Dr Tony Holohan said: “For the fourth time this week, we are reporting Ireland’s highest ever number of confirmed cases of Covid-19. The most effective way to minimise the risk of any of us transmitting this virus to others is to avoid mixing indoors with people from other households.
“I know this is not the advice any one of us wants to hear, particularly in advance of New Year celebrations. However, given the current profile of the disease, it is essential that all of us continue to keep our social contacts as low as possible in the days ahead.”
4. Israel has approved a fourth vaccine shot for vulnerable people, becoming one of the first countries to do so, amid a surge in Covid in cases driven by the Omicron variant.
The approval came as another anti-Covid weapon arrived in the country: a first shipment of Pfizer’s anti-Covid pills.
“I approved giving the fourth vaccine for immunocompromised people,” health ministry director-general Nachman Ash told reporters yesterday.
“I did this in light of studies that show the benefit of the vaccine, including the fourth vaccine, to this population, and in light of the fear they are more vulnerable in this outbreak of Omicron.”
5. Two more people have died on Irish roads in the last 24 hours.
A man in his 30s died after a fatal road collision in Dublin 6 last night. The collision involved a car and a motorcycle. The driver of the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene.
Separately, a man in his 20s died following a two-car collision in Co Donegal last night. This collision involved two cars and occurred on the R236 in St Johnston, Dundee, at approximately 9.15pm yesterday.
The driver of one car, a man aged in his 20s, was seriously injured during the collision. He was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital where he later died.
6. There were over 1,000 arrests of Irish people by the UK’s Met Police up until the middle of October this year.
Data released to The Journal under Freedom of Information legislation provides a breakdown of the offences people were arrested for from 1 January to 21 October 2021 – a total of 1,053.
Three Irish citizens were arrested over attempted murder and 27 were arrested on suspicion of making a murder threat. A total of 14 Irish people were arrested on suspicion of rape this year, while 27 were arrested on suspicion of other sexual offences.
7. US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation last night on diplomatic solutions to soaring Russia-West tensions over Ukraine, the White House has said.
The call, requested by the Kremlin leader, “convened at 3:35 pm” (8.3pm Irish time), a White House official said from Wilmington, Delaware, where Biden was spending the New Year’s holiday at home.
This was the second time Putin and Biden talked in just over three weeks, reflecting intense diplomacy to try and resolve a dangerously escalating standoff on the fringes of eastern Europe.
8. The number of work-related fatalities in 2021 were the lowest since the Health and Safety Authority began to record the figures, according to its end-of-year report.
Provisional statistics released by the HSA this morning show that there was a 30% reduction in work-related fatalities in 2021 compared to 2020, with construction having the highest number of deaths this year
Overall, there were 38 work-related deaths reported in 2021 – a drop from the 54 work-related deaths that were reported in 2020.
The reduction is partially due to fewer people working all year because of pandemic restrictions.
8. And finally, the weather.
Met Éireann says it will be rather windy today with strong and gusty southwesterly winds. It’s expected to be generally dry for daylight hours with sunny spells developing.
However, the morning will bring a little showery rain with scattered outbreaks of rain moving in through the evening hours. It’ll be very mild for the time of year with top temperatures of 12 to 14 degrees Celsius.
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