Last night.

Claire Byrne Live on RTÉ One.

Meanwhile…

Last night.

Via Dublin Live:

RTE viewers have slammed a segment on Claire Byrne Live last night on toy organisation.

Professional organiser Vera Keohanen explained the best way to tidy your family playroom and what to do with toys that have had their day.

She told Claire that cluttered toy boxes lead to children becoming disinterested and it’s better for toys to be clearly seen and organised.

RTE Claire Byrne Live viewers bewilder over bizarre toy segment (Dublin Live)

Thanks The Dude

Pastiche – Bad Loser

Wanna go clubbing? Golf clubbing, that is.

Dublin pop newcomer Pastiche (top) comes out swinging in the video for her new single, which was shot in Laragh House, County Wicklow, by director Louis Maxwell.

Pastiche writes:

“Lyrically, ‘Bad Loser’ is about your inner demons and, in a way, celebrating them. It reads like a diary entry and it’s all very much drawn from personal experiences that I’ve had with my own mental health.

“The moment the song was in the demo stage I had a vision of a house of horrors where all of my demons and sides of my personalities came out to play, displayed to the world.

“Each character is a metaphor, every set is intentional, every colour used sheds a different light on me. I think once you watch the video you really understand the song to a whole new degree, just as I intended It to be enjoyed.”

Nick says: Loser wins.

Pastiche

This morning.

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Eamon Ryan TD speaking to media before entering Dublin Castle for this morning’s meeting of the Cabinet.

Earlier: Stabilise You Socialising

Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

This morning.

Via Reuters:

Greek authorities said they would impose a €100 fine on every individual over the age of 60 who was not vaccinated.

The measure would apply each month from 16 January onwards.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he struggled with the decision, but it was necessary to protect more than half a million elderly Greeks who had failed to get the jab.

“Its the price to pay for health,” he said.

Earlier: Stabilise Your Socialising

This morning.

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin speaks to reporters as he heads in for a cabinet meeting to discuss new covid restrictions.

He said:

“We had a good presentation from the CMO and his team, and overall in terms of the management of Covid-19 there has been a stabilisation in terms of admissions to hospital and ICU, and there has been some improvement in terms of case numbers and the five-day incidence level.

“I want to thank the people for the degree to which they have moderated behaviour in terms of socialisation.

“On Omicron I think we have to allow the science to inform us in terms of how infectious it is, how virulent it is, and indeed the impact of vaccines on it, so all of that remains to be determined.

“It’s all to be assessed yet because when we say stabilisation, it is stabilisation at high levels, and any increase in socialisation over the next while could tip that in a different direction.”

RollingNews

Last night.

CC writes:

OK, enough is enough. I was in my favourite local takeaway. These guys came in twice without masks. No bleeding effort at all and when I made my discomfort known to them, they chased me down the street shouting at me. How, when everyone else is making an effort to keep everyone else safe, can this happen? Who do they work for? The level of aggression scared me.

Earlier: Not In My Name

Last night/this morning.

A petition has been launched calling for the removal of the domestic COVID pass in Ireland.

‘Vaccinated and Worried’ writes:

The domestic COVID pass in Ireland should be abolished immediately. It is a divisive and discriminatory measure with very little scientific basis.

As a tool it divides the nation but if you are vaccinated but oppose the domestic COVID please add your name to this petition (at link below).

I still have faith in Irish people and I hope that deep down many know that it is fundamentally wrong to deny fellow citizens a normal every day life based on a medical treatment.

I am vaccinated but I no longer feel comfortable sitting inside knowing that others cannot do so. The only reason the domestic COVID pass is possible is because the vaccinated consider it acceptable.

If you are vaccinated but against the domestic COVID pass please add your name and voice to this petition.

Sign here

This morning.

The cabinet is to meet later to discuss new NPHET guidelines….

The recommendation under discussion aims to cut down on children mixing but the advice appears to be more subtle than the initial recommendation from the National Public Health Emergency Team last week.

Those familiar with the memo going to Cabinet said it could mean a play-date might be an option or a trip to the panto, but not both.

Mask wearing from third class upwards will be among the measures discussed this morning…

Meanwhile…

There will also be proposals around international travel with an antigen test set to be required by all people arriving here.

This would need to be completed a maximum of 72 hours before arriving in the country and there are indications that the antigen test system will be professionally administered.

The Cabinet will also examine legislation that would allow for the re-introduction of mandatory hotel quarantine.

Masks for schoolchildren nine and over set to be recommended (irish Times)

Ombudsman urges Govt to quickly assess impact of Covid rules on children

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Nphet has recommended to the Government that children aged nine or over should wear face masks in school.

From our reading of recent reports by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the Health Information and Quality Authority, it appears that both the ECDC and Hiqa consider mask wearing in this age group (the under 12s) in the school setting to be of limited benefit.

As both parents and healthcare professionals, we question Nphet’s recommendation, which we consider is not evidence based and lacks guidelines or metrics that will determine its discontinuation.

We fear that the introduction of mandatory face masks could have a profound negative impact on the emotional, social and academic development of these young children.

Dr Nikki O’Keefe and Dr Ciaran Healy,

Ranelagh, Dublin 6

Irish Times Letters

Meanwhile…

Broadsheet.ie