LAST UPDATE | 17 Nov 2021

GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.

Covid restrictions

1. Changes to closing hours for hospitality and fresh advice to work from home unless absolutely necessary to attend in-person have been confirmed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin in an address yesterday evening.

The new restrictions follow increasing concerns about the pressure on hospitals as a result of the current spread of Covid-19.

Booster jabs

2. The Taoiseach has also outlined an indicative timeline for the completion of the cohorts that are currently approved for a Covid-19 booster vaccine. 

Martin said there are currently about 2.2 million people in the groups NIAC has approved for a booster jab but that the rollout is complicated by the need to “factor in” the interval of at least five months between doses two and three. 

Covid-19 passes

3. Covid-19 certificates will now be required for access to cinemas and theatres under the new changes announced by the Taoiseach.

Vaccination or Covid-19 recovery certs have been a requirement in different areas including indoor hospitality for several months.

From midnight on Thursday, they will also be required to get into cinemas and theatres. 

PUP payments

4. Sticking with Covid-19 news, people receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) saw a reduction to the scheme in their pockets yesterday – and the government has no plans to change this, despite the new restrictions announced. 

Northern Ireland restrictions

5. In the North, health officials have warned Covid passports may not be enough to stop hospitals being overwhelmed and “more severe restrictions” may need to be considered next month.

COP26 photo debunked

6. During COP26 in Glasgow over the last fortnight, a fleet of highly-publicised electric buses shuttled conference delegates between events. However a photo on social media claims to show proof they weren’t reliable. 

Brianna Parkins this morning debunks this photo and confirms it doesn’t show a COP26 electric bus being towed by a diesel truck. 

Mother and Baby Homes

7. Two test cases involving involving Mother and Baby Home survivors seeking judicial reviews are set to be heard by the High Court today and tomorrow.

The cases are being brought by high-profile survivors Philomena Lee and Mary Harney.

Kyle Rittenhouse trial

8. And in the US, the jury at Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder did not reach a verdict in the murder case in its first day of deliberations.

The case hangs on whether Rittenhouse was the instigator in a night of bloodshed in Kenosha, Wisconsin, or a concerned citizen who came under attack while trying to protect property.

Word of the Year

9. Lastly, the Cambridge Dictionary has revealed its word of the year for 2021 as “perseverance”, with editors crediting global interest in Nasa’s mission to Mars.