NEED TO CATCH up? TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of today’s news.

IRELAND

(LtoR) Caitlin Gaffney and Charlotte Gaillon living in Dublin with their dog Jenny at Portmarnock Beach, Dublin this afternoon. Sam Boal Sam Boal

• For the first time since mid-March, no deaths from Covid-19 have been reported in the past day. 
• It is likely we could see more clusters of Covid-19 as Ireland begins to re-open, but that won’t necessarily mean public health measures aren’t working, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said.
• Holohan also said that the 2m social distancing advice remains in place but will be reviewed along with all other public health guidelines. 
• Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said he was unaware that councillors would publish a letter urging deputy leader Catherine Martin to run for leader of his party.
• Leaving Cert students have been urged to register for the Calculated Grades system from tomorrow.
• A man who stole a laptop from an ambulance in Dublin has been jailed for three years.
• Gardaí in Dublin have issued a public appeal to help trace the whereabouts of a missing 75-year-old man.
• Nine forests in Dublin mountains are set to be upgraded for recreational use.
• The Irish Hairdressers’ Federation (IHF) will present a number of recommendations to the government that they say could allow salons to open early.
• It’s sure to be a warm week as temperatures are due to reach the mid-20s and the good conditions will persist into the Bank Holiday weekend.

WORLD 

Gridlock stretches on a road in Burnsall in the Yorkshire Dales, as people flock to parks and beaches with lockdown measures eased. PA PA

#TRIP TO DURHAM: Boris Johnson’s senior aide Dominic Cummings said he drove to Durham in late March due to fears over a lack of childcare in London and concerns about his family’s safety.

#REGRETS: Boris Johnson said he regrets the confusion, anger and pain people feel over Dominic Cummings’ trip to Durham, but he isn’t backing down on support for his chief aide.  

#COLDER WAR: China has said that relations with the United States are “on the brink of a new Cold War”. 

#RECOVERY: Queen guitarist Brian May is recovering well after a heart attack. 

PARTING SHOT 

Stepping out from the shadows, Boris Johnson’s chief aide Dominic Cummings has been stuck firmly in the headlines over the past few days. 

He took an hour this afternoon to speak to media and explain his reasons for a 260-mile trip with his family from his home in London to Durham while self-isolating with Covid-19 symptoms. 

As part of these symptoms, Cummings said his eyesight was affected (Johnson said he had a similar experience with Covid-19). 

To test his eyesight ahead of the long journey back to London from his father’s property in Durham in mid-April, Cummings first took a shorter drive with his family to “see if I could drive safely”. 

You can watch him explain this decision here.