Taoiseach Micheál Martin arriving for last night’s cabinet meeting at Dublin Castle

This morning/last night.

The Government has agreed that the following countries be included as ‘Normal Precautions on the Department of Foreign Affairs Travel Advice’: Malta, Finland, Norway, Italy, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Slovakia, Greece, Greenland, Gibraltar, Monaco, and San Marino.

Via Merrion Street:

Anyone arriving into Ireland from these countries will not have to restrict their movements. Passengers from any other country outside of those with a Normal Precautions advisory are asked to restrict their movements for 14 days.

The list will be reviewed on a fortnightly basis, based on advice from officials including public health experts.

There is no change to the current policy in respect of travel from Northern Ireland.

The Government will continue with plans to strengthen the existing measures for monitoring passengers who arrive into Ireland, including the introduction of an Electronic Passenger Locator Form, enhanced follow-up procedures, a call centre operated by the DAA, and a proposed testing regime for symptomatic passengers at airports and ports.

Processes to restrict flight or passenger travel in certain circumstances will also be explored.

In conjunction with these preventative measures, there will be a renewed communications campaign across all platforms to ensure maximum public awareness of the latest advice.

The Pandemic is not over and the public health advice remains the same. The safest thing to do is not to travel.’

Statement on Government Travel Advice (Merrion Street)

Government adds 15 countries to ‘green list’ for travel (RTÉ)

Rollingnews

Meanwhile…


From top: Depeche Mode’s Andy Fletcher with Martin Gore unidentified friend in unnamed Dublin pub, NME, 1983; An unsuccessful location check with photographer Adrian Boot; Jack Charlton recalled on RTÉ News with stained glass ‘JC’ window in background

DublinbyPub writes:

We recently published a post, about our efforts to try and identify the Dublin pub in a 1983 picture of Andy Fletcher from Depeche Mode in NME (by Adrian Boot).

We eventually solved the issue, with a good pinch of serendipity after one of the features of the pub popped up in a news report on Jack Charlton’s passing. I thought your readers might enjoy…(at link below)

Jack Charlton, Depeche Mode And Hill 16 (DublinbyPub)

Yesterday’s The Guardian

However…

This afternoon.

Via The Irish Examiner:

Ireland’s Covid Tracker smartphone application is sharing information which could lead to location tracking with Google at least every 20 minutes, the Irish Examiner can reveal.

A new research paper released by the school of computer science and statistics at Trinity College Dublin details the information that is shared – which includes IP address, the handset’s IMEI (its unique identifier which can be used to block its usage), serial number, phone number, and email address – and describes the revelation as being “extremely troubling from a privacy viewpoint”.

The HSE had insisted that the app is completely anonymous and does not track location data.

However, the HSE only controls the public health side of the app, with the exposure notification segment being administered by both Google and Apple via their Google/Apple Exposure Notification (GAEN) service.

Meanwhile…

“The HSE has been celebrated in Ireland and beyond for their transparent approach to developing the Covid Tracker app,” said Elizabeth Farries, director of information rights with The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL.)

“However, Google Play Services represent a significant component of the app. Most people, even app developers, are unaware of this level of invasiveness,” she added.

Also.

It has also emerged that the HSE’s side of the app is collating information via the metrics it receives from users which could be used to link all requests sent from the same phone together, akin to a ‘cookie’ footprint left by a computer as it surfs the internet.

Anyone?

Covid-19 tracking app sharing possible location data with Google (Cianan Brennan, Irish Examiner)

Yesterday: Cheap, popular and it works: Ireland’s contact-tracing app success (The Guardian)

Previously: Hapless App

Rollingnews

And who among us could blame them?

This afternoon.

Walkinstown roundabout. Dublin 12.

Via The Echo:

Irish football supporters came out in force this afternoon to remember former Republic of Ireland manager and legend Jack Charlton, as ‘Put em under pressure’ rings out in his memory…

Any excuse.

Earlier: Route One

Van Panther – To Live And Die

If you’ve ever wondered what a drone’s eye view of a deserted lockdowned Limerick city would look like, it’s your lucky day.

Shane Serrano of Crude Media‘s video for Van Panther’s new single is visually arresting, as frontman Kieran Ralph (top third right) sings of escape.

Van Panther say:

“This is a song about wanderlust, but given our current circumstances, you will have to let the music take you there instead.”

Nick says: Limerick leaders.

Van Panther

This afternoon.

A report on the impact of the virus on nursing homes by The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has been published.

Via The Irish Times:

“The State health watchdog was granted an emergency court order to shut down a nursing home over fears residents could not be protected during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) has also revealed none of the 44 homes where there had been confirmed cases of Covid-19 fully complied with regulations to stem the spread of the disease.

…In a report on the impact of the pandemic on nursing homes, Hiqa said it began inspecting homes that had “significant outbreaks” and found shortcomings in management, staffing levels as well as infection prevention and control skills.

Hiqa granted order to shut nursing home over Covid-19 risk to residents (Irish Times)

Meanwhile…

The report also outlines the human impact of dealing with the pandemic on staff, residents and their families who contacted HIQA to tell their story.

Residents spoke of the fear of never hugging their family again and of what would happen if a resident of staff member tested positive.

One said he would “not leave the room again until a vaccine was found”.

Others were frustrated and angry that prevention measures meant they were largely confined to their bedrooms and cut out from the friends in the centre.

The only human contact was from staff, many of whom were wearing PPE.

There was also a serious impact on the wellbeing of staff.

One home said “we have some staff that are still out and it is likely they will never return, such is their upset“.

Half of nursing homes with virus outbreaks inspected did not follow hygiene rules – HIQA (RTÉ)

Previously: Left To Die: Nursing Home Timeline

Rollingnews

Behold: the 1998 Mercedes Benz U1550L Unimog – the ultimate militaristic, all terrain truck for lovers of militaristic, all terrain trucks.

This vehicle, finished in olive green and matt black with raised suspension and rugged off-road tyres has a mere 3,235km on the clock and can be yours for about €131,000 (plus shipping)

hiconsumption

Broadsheet.ie