Galway TD Denis Naughten says that the emergency powers which will be granted to the government to respond to the coronavirus pandemic must contain a “sunset clause” to give them an end date.
The bill contains measures to ensure the payment of illness benefits and unemployment payments to those affected by the spread of coronavirus.
It also gives the government powers to shut down mass gatherings, order people to stay in their homes in certain areas if necessary, and allows for the detention of a person if a medical recommendation has been made and they are refusing to self-isolate.
“These are very powerful legal provisions which must only be used to specifically deal with the current national health crisis, and we must be able to have the law repealed after this threat has abated,” Denis Naughten said.
Subsection 3 of the bill says that the measures in the legislation shall continue until May 9, but sections 4 and 5 allow for the Ministers of Health or Employment Affairs and Social Protection to declare that they shall continue in effect past that point if necessary.
The Independent TD pointed to the Offences Against the State Act, which must be renewed each year, as a successful example of a sunset clause for special powers.
The emergency legislation has been debated before the Dáil today, with a reduced number of TDs in attendance to comply with social distancing for the coronavirus.
The bill passed its second stage without a vote, and the debate has now been suspended until 7pm.
Minister for Health Simon Harris said that he himself intends to place an amendment in the bill which will insert a time limit into the legislation, and its powers.
People have been turning heavily to online shopping in recent days as they are generally encouraged to avoid going out as much as possible, and one local coffee company is using that to support those businesses which have been hit the hardest by the coronavirus pandemic.
Calender Coffee, based in Barna, are donating 30% of the proceeds from their online sales to cafés and coffee shops around Ireland, as chosen by the customer.
Businesses like cafés have been among the first hit economically by the Covid-19 pandemic, closing around Ireland so that people won’t spread the virus.
People can pick any location they desire, regardless of whether or not its a business that stock their prooduct.
“We wanted to bring the coffee community together, despite their doors being closed,” explained Zarah, one of the two founders of Calendar, along with her business partner Dan.
“Right now, we need to find ways to show love and support each other. The campaign is called #SpreadLoveNotGerms and we want to help as many cafes in Ireland as we can.”
“The response so far has been heart-warming, and all the messages of support we’ve received for the cafes is community spirit at its finest.”
In order to make this work they are charging a flat rate of €4 on all orders up to 2kg to cover shipping costs.
The only change that will be made from their regular shopping process is to include the name and location of the business you’d like to support at the checkout, and customers van even include a message of support.
Roasting and delivering coffee for nearly two years now, Zarah and Dan have always tried to put sustainability at the forefront of their business model.
Their seasonal Teamwork Espresso donates €0.50 per Kg to World Coffee Research, a non-profit organisation, helping farmers adapt to climate change.
Calendar also provide their wholesale customers with reusable buckets of coffee to reduce the amount of single use plastic they have in their business, as well as working with a reforestation project in Clare to offset shipping emissions.
To support this local business, supporting other local businesses, go to calendarcoffee.ie or connect through Instagram @calendar.coffee or call Zarah or Dan +353 (83) 426 2726.
Galway West TD Mairéad Farrell has thanked everyone in the community who is continuing to do vital work to help us get through this crisis.
The Sinn Féin TD thanked those in retail, the healthcare sector, pharmacists, and delivery drivers as well as those volunteering across Ireland in these difficult times.
She commended their ‘great effort to get us through this crisis’, saying ‘go raibh mile maith agaibh’.
On social media, she said: “Your hard work is keeping us all safe. The next government needs to remember this and legislate to provide decent wages and sick pay for all, regardless of a crisis.
Galway businesses affected by the coronavirus crisis can take advantage of supports available, including vouchers from €2,500 up to €10,000 (with 50:50 match funding).
The Local Enterprise Office in Galway will be providing the vouchers to support business continuity preparedness, innovation and productivity.
The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation have put a range of supports in place, including a €200m scheme for eligible businesses impacted by Covid-19.
Loans of up to €1.5m will be available at reduced rates, with up to the first €500,000 unsecured.
Commenting on the supports available, East Galway TD Ciaran Cannon said: “This is a very anxious time for businesses across Ireland and the government is providing all possible assistance in helping them navigate the weeks and months ahead”.
“There is also a €200m Package for Enterprise Supports including a Rescue and Restructuring Scheme available through Enterprise Ireland for vulnerable but viable firms that need to restructure or transform their business; the maximum loan available from MicroFinance Ireland will be increased from €25,000 to €50,000 as an immediate measure to specifically deal with exceptional circumstances that micro-enterprises – sole traders and firms with up to 9 employees – are facing and applications can be made through the MFI website or through your local LEO.
“The Credit Guarantee Scheme will be available to firms impacted by COVID-19 through the Pillar Banks and loans of up to €1m will be available at terms of up to seven years.”
The HSE has today directed all hospitals and healthcare facilities in the country to immediately suspend their parking charges for the duration of the coronavirus emergency.
CEO of the HSE, Paul Reid said, “ I have been overwhelmed by the dedication, support and professionalism of all our staff in helping to contain the COVID-19 outbreak to date.”
“As we face in to a very difficult period it is only right that we make every effort to ensure that staff are supported in their work.”
“Therefore I have directed today that all hospitals and healthcare facilities suspend parking charges for staff for the duration of the Covid-19 crisis, as a small mark of our gratitude for their efforts.”
There have been 12 confirmed cases of Covid-19 coronavirus in Galway as of Wednesday evening according to a breakdown of the national infection figures provided by the Department of Health.
All of Galway’s hospitals have already imposed visitor bans and deferred all but the most urgent of appointments and procedures in order to limit the spread of infection, particularly to vulnerable hospital patients.
People in Galway who haven’t been using their Eircode have been urged to write it near the phone or memorise it.
Galway East TD Ciaran Cannon said that the Eircode system cuts down the amount of time it takes to find a person’s home for both emergencies and home deliveries.
Last month, a survey found that some 60% of people have either rarely or never used the Eircode system which was launched almost 5 years ago.
“While that may be the case,” said Minister Cannon, “the system has huge benefits especially in helping cut down on the amount of time it takes to find a person`s home.”
“Many retailers in this region of Galway are offering home delivery services and posting one`s Eircode near the phone at home will help with facilitating quicker home deliveries and also, should they arise, emergency situations.
“Consequently, I encourage all citizens and especially those who may not have used their unique Eircode up to now to ensure that they commit it to memory or post it in a prominent place near the phone which will cut down considerably on the time it takes to locate their home,” he added.
The Leaving and Junior Orals in Irish and Modern Languages and other practical examinations have been cancelled in light of the cornavirus pandemic
All students who were due to take their orals over the next two weeks will instead automatically receive 100% for this portion of the exam.
The move applies to all orals in Irish and foreign languages of French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Japanese.
It also to the practical performance tests in Leaving and Junior Cert Music, as well as Junior Cert Home Economics.
Minister for Education Joe McHugh said that this move is being made in light of school closures to limit the spread of coronavirus, and will be implemented by the SEC.
“This is a difficult time for all,” Minister McHugh said, “Students are facing a challenging period out of school and our decision on this element of the exams is being taken with their best interests at heart.”
“It is the fairest response we could take in the circumstances. It guarantees that no student will score less than they would have if schools had been operating as normal.”
“We have seen a new emphasis on remote learning amid the uncertainty about the impact of Covid-19 and the closure of all schools.”
“I hope this decision will ease some of the pressure that students are feeling and allow them to focus more clearly on completing project work and preparing for written exams.”
Aside from the orals, deadlines for projects and other coursework in a number of subjects have also been pushed back.
Students were originally supposed to have these elements completed between March 20, and April 24 in a number of subjects.
But the deadlines for all have now been pushed back to May 15 in order to give students and teachers flexibility in this year’s exams.
Minister McHugh said that the government is “hugely grateful” for the effort being put in by students and teachers alike to continue education under difficult circumstances.
While the written portion of the state exams are still scheduled to proceed in May, Minister McHugh said that the department and SEC are continuing to monitor the coronavirus pandemic in terms of its potential impact on more exams.
“We will continue to respond at the right time and in the right way, with the impact on our students at the forefront of our minds,” Minister McHugh said.
Some 126,000 students are expected to take state exams this year, with 65,000 at the Junior Cert level, and 61,000 doing their Leaving Cert.
The GAA has confirmed that multiple coaching and game initiatives will not be going ahead in 2020 due to ongoing uncertainty created by the coronavirus.
As part of collective efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the GAA has announced the the 2020 Féile competitions, the Celtic Challenge and activity involving Academy Squads will not be going ahead.
It comes after yesterday’s announcement that the Connacht SFC clash in Gaelic Park between New York and Galway which was meant to take place in May has also been cancelled.
A future date for the Galway footballers to head over to New York will be considered as part of an overall redrawing of fixtures amid heavy disruptions to the 2020 calender.
A letter on the ongoing disruption to fixtures and events was issued by Árd Stiúrthóir of the GAA Tom Ryan.
“The Association would like to reassure our members that when games activity re-commences we will provide an adequate games schedule for our players at all ages and grades.”
“In the meantime, we are working on a unified approach for all of our units on the issue of Games Development and Administration personnel and will be liaising with our Provincial Councils and County Committees in the coming days.”
“Thank you for your combined efforts to date.”
“These efforts have the potential to make a massive difference and it is in this vein that we ask you to continue to mobilise the GAA network and our wider membership in the interests of public health and the greater good.”
Galway County Council has granted more time for the construction of a supermarket in Athenry on the site of a former Co-Op.
Swandive Unlimited Company was first granted planning permission for the construction of a discount foodstore supermarket in Athenry, with and off-licence, in October 2015.
The development will involve demolishing multiple existing retail buildings, including warehousing, agricultural sheds, and associated structures.
In their place will be built a single storey discount foodstore with a retail floor area of 1,379sqm, a new access road, and a car park with 92 parking spaces.
The reason why no work has been progressed before now, according to the EOD application, is because the site was occupied by Arrabawn Co-Op until April 24, 2019.
The site wasn’t cleared until the end of November 2019, the developer said, which prevented any work from occurring during the lifetime of the original planning permission.
“Lending restrictions of financial institutions in recent years also mitigated against development on site in recent years,” the application states.
It is now expected that work will commence around January 2024, with a view towards completing the supermarket by the end of October 2025.
Galway County Council granted the extension of duration for the works unconditionally.
The Irish Naval Service’s patrol ship the LÉ William Butler Yeats has docked at the Port of Galway to help the response to the coronavirus epidemic.
The ship was deployed to Galway at the request of the HSE to “generate more capacity” for the health services to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, and it is expected that the ship could be used as a test centre for the virus.
It is intended that 34 testing centres for Covid-19 will be introduced around the country, as testing for as many cases as possible is a key element of the strategy for delaying the surge in infections.
Her sister ship, the LÉ Samuel Beckett, is docked in Dublin to assist with the primary response to the pandemic there.
The Department of Health confirmed yesterday that there have been 12 confirmed coronavirus cases in Galway so far, as the nationwide toll has risen to 366, with 74 new cases on Wednesday.
Two people have died of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland so far, and in his address to the nation on St Patrick’s Day Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that we are in the calm before the storm, with 15,000 cases expected by the end of March.
The Department of Health has tonight released a breakdown of coronavirus cases in each county.
Galway has 12 confirmed cases, the fourth highest in the state, as of midday today (18 March).
The number across Ireland has risen by 74 to 434, with the majority in Dublin. 366 of these cases are in the Republic.
The 74 new cases are made up of 29 females and 45 males
Co. Dublin has 129 cases, Cork has 48 and Limerick, 14.
Leitrim, Laois and Monaghan have no confirmed cases.
The Department of Health has also said of the 271 cases notified on Monday night, 40% are male and 59% female, with 23 clusters.
To date 42% cases are travel related, 22% associated with community transmission, 17% are as a result of local transmission and 20% remain under investigation.
One in five cases are healthcare workers with 37% of these cases associated with travel.
Two thirds of cases are younger than 55 years, with almost one in four cases aged 35 – 44 years.
Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said : “Again, today we are seeing another increase in case numbers. The importance of social distancing cannot be underestimated. Everyone must play their role.”
“Reduce your social contacts to those in your closest family network.
“Practice social distancing. Stop shaking hands and hugging when you say hello.”
The GAA have confirmed that due to uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, the Connacht SFC clash in New York has been cancelled.
Galway and New York were due to meet at Gaelic Park across the Atlantic on May 3, but it has been confirmed that this has been postponed.
“The future for this fixture will be considered at a later date and in the context of the anticipated overall re-drawing of the national fixtures calendar for 2020 as necessitated by the ongoing disruption to the GAA games programme,” a statement from the GAA said.
Separately, Galway GAA has advised that all clubs should cancel club activities, as well as close clubhouses and gyms until further notice.
“The clubs of Galway have been fantastic in promoting health and wellness in their clubs and communities and now we can play our part in assisting our members and communities in this very difficult and unprecedented situation that we find ourselves in,” the County Board said.
“We all have a duty of care to each other and also to the wider community and it is expected therefore that everybody across the County will adhere to both the letter and spirit of what has been asked of us in these challenging times.”
All club training and matches had already been cancelled until the end of March at least in a joint decision by the GAA, An Cumann Camógaíochta and the LGFA.
The ŠKODA Tour de Conamara cycling race which was meant to take place this summer has been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Tour de Conamara was due to go ahead on May 23 this summer, but due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the decision has been made to push it back to Saturday, August 29.
“This decision is taken in the best interest of all cyclists, marshalls, event team and the host communities across Connemara,” a statement from the organisers said.
“We hope that all will be back to normal at that stage, allowing us to cycle safely together and deliver a fantastic ŠKODA Tour de Conamara 2020 experience for all cyclists.”
The annual race offers participants two routes which are 140km and 80km long respectively, starting and finishing in Clifden, taking cyclists through the stunning scenery of the west of Ireland.
Anyone who has registered to take part in the event will be automatically transferred to the rescheduled race.
Cyclists who won’t be able to take part on the new date in August have until March 25 to cancel their registration. But they can still transfer their place to another cyclist after that date.
Galway has been allocated €856,959 for the maintenance of rural, local roads in the county under the Local Improvement Scheme.
Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring signed off on €10 million in funding to help maintain small roads and laneways which are not normally looked after by councils.
These rural roads provide access to people’s homes and farms, as well as amenities such as lakes, rivers or beaches.
The Local Improvement Scheme provides funding directly to the county council, which decides where to spend it.
Each council is receiving the same amount they did in 2019, and the money granted by the Department will be topped up by financial contributions by the council, as well as from landowners and householders themselves.
The amount that individuals will be asked to contribute towards repair works on their local roads is capped at €1,200.
Out of the total allocation of €10 million, the only county to receive a greater share of the funding than Galway is Cork, which has been granted €900,000.
The smallest sums went to Carlow, Kildare, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, and Monaghan, each of which was allocated €250k.
Galway East TD Seán Canney has accused meat factories of profiteering from a global health crisis by cutting lamb prices for farmers.
The Independent TD said it makes no sense for meat factories to cut the price of lamb for farmers by up to 50c per kilo when the demand for meat is higher than ever.
People have been stocking up on meat and other food supplies in recent days as they begin to self-isolate as much as possible to prevent the spread of Covid-19, with more lockdown measures expected in coming days.
“The excuse that there has been disruption to the Chinese markets is not sustainable,” Seán Canney said.
“Supply cannot meet demand in our domestic markets and prices are already low enough.
“Our farmers are vital to our food supply and they should be supported in their efforts and treated fairly.”
Deputy Canney has sided firmly with the Irish Cattle & Sheep Farmers Association which has called on the government to condemn what it calls “blatant profiteering” by factories.
“How can the meat factories explain cutting prices when they can’t even keep lamb on the shelves in Irish stores,” asks ICSA sheep chairman Sean McNamara.
“Irish farmers have seen no benefit whatsoever to date from Chinese sales and the head of ABP recently stated that China was of very limited benefit.”
“So, it is completely hypocritical to turn around and now use China as an excuse,” McNamara said.
Ireland’s food security is more crucial than ever right now, McNamara added, saying that meat factories should show farmers respect instead of draining money out of rural Ireland.
Plans for a six unit housing development in Oranmore have been submitted to the county council for consideration.
Bridgemore Construction Management is seeking planning permission to demolish an existing home and outbuilding at Oranhill, Oranmore, and build new housing on the site.
The development will consist of six 4-bedroom semi-detached with a gross floor space of 803.5sqm.
A letter from Irish Water submitted with the planning application said that, subject to an agreement being put in place, a connection to the water and wastewater network in the area can be facilitated.
A decision on whether to grant planning permission for this housing development is due from Galway County Council by April 8.
John Concannon, Vice President: Development of NUI Galway and a well respected businessman and communications guru from Galway has been put in charge of the government’s public information campaign for the coronavirus pandemic.
The Irish Independent reports that Concannon’s role will involve coordinating communications across all government departments and agencies related to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
In a televised address to the nation last night on St Patrick’s Day, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that stopping the “spread of fear” was as important as fighting the virus, and said that people should only get their information from official sources such as the HSE and World Health Organisation.
Concannon said that he has agreed to take this role in Ireland’s emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic at no cost to the taxpayer.
Prior to his current position at NUIG he was the marketing expert responsible for the Wild Atlantic Way tourism campaign, with Galway at its heart, during his time as the Director of Market Development for Fáilte Ireland.
He has also previously served as the communications head for the government during the Beast from the East cold wave and Storm Emma in 2018 that saw Ireland get its worst snow crisis in decades.
A Tuam native, Concannon took up his current role at NUIG, where he previously graduated from, in May of last year.
Other work he has done for the government includes handling the Easter 1916 commemorations strategy and the ‘Creative Ireland’ programme, while locally he has worked with COPE Galway in the past.
Mayor Mike Cubbard has said that urgent intervention is needed from the government to support businesses closing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Many more businesses are expected to close this week to limit the situations where people can spread the Covid-19 coronavirus, joining pubs, creches, and other businesses which have shut their doors.
Mayor Cubbard described the current situation as “uncharted waters” and cautioned that people are facing an uncertain future.
“In recent days pub, restaurant and childcare workers have seen their place of employment close.
“Many more may follow in retail, hospitality and tourism to name but a few,” Mike Cubbard said.
Up to 200,000 jobs could be lost in the next week due to restrictions put in place to combat the spread of coronavirus, Retail Excellence Ireland has said.
That’s on top of 140,000 jobs that have already been lost due to the closure of businesses.
In order to help SMEs survive through this time, Mayor Cubbard said that the government should intervene in the area of rates, insurance, mortgages/rent, and interest rates.
He suggested that a local authorities should suspend commercial rates, and the government should use emergency funding to finance councils for 2020 to make up for the lost rates.
In addition he pointed out that for many businesses, the risks that inform the price of their insurance have changed in recent days.
“A closed pub, restaurant or creche only has a fire & theft risk and the liability to the public is no longer a factor.”
Insurance companies should guarantee that policyholders whose businesses have closed will be able to get a rebate.
“In recent days I have heard of a small business owner who went to his bank seeking their support to defer a mortgage payment so he could continue to pay his staff.”
“Incredibly, the bank offered him a loan to cover his shortfall at an 8.5% interest rate.”
Mayor Cubbard said that financial institutions which were bailed out by taxpayers in the crisis should not be allowed to become “opportunistic vultures”, and said that a freeze on mortgage and rent payments should be introduced.
“These are extreme but necessary measures in a time when many closing their door due to no fault of their own are unsure if they will ever open again.”
The Restaurants Association of Ireland has asked the government to order restaurants shut, saying that social distancing simply isn’t working to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe will be meeting with bank chiefs on Wednesday to discuss their response to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Among the issues which are expected to be discussed are the many people seeking a deferment of payments on loans and mortgages, and what they are doing to help people secure short term loans and overdrafts.
By Jana Kolnrekaj in Tolmezzo, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Being on lockdown was not one of our New Year’s resolutions but that’s what has happened, and the only thing we can do is to accept it.
Last Monday, the 10th of March, some of the regions in northern Italy were already ‘red zones’ – such as Lombardia, Veneto and Emilia Romagna – meaning that they were on lockdown.
Earlier on Monday, to the delight of many, Amazon decided to make Prime Video free for the people who lived in the red zones.
On Monday evening the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte declared that all of Italy was a red zone, or under lockdown – putting Amazon in a tricky situation.
At the beginning, the Amazon fiasco made me laugh, but then I started to realise what was happening, and it felt like I was in a bubble where everything stopped for a moment.
The colours became more vivid and the sounds muffled. I didn’t know if I could see my friends or go for a walk or look for a job. I started thinking about what I should do, and the answer was simply: do nothing and wait for the bubble to burst.
After a week I can happily say I haven’t gone mad, yet, or maybe I just don’t think so.
Anyway I haven’t had time, because my sister and I came up with this thrilling idea to clean and organise the whole house.
We started disassembling the large dresser in the living room because according to my sister it was so ugly and had negative energy and we couldn’t do anything else before getting rid of it. Now the sitting room is beautiful and positive, but we still haven’t finished all the things we wanted to do. It’s amazing to discover how much housework there is, which can(‘t) be done in a week!
We also decided to have a code-word for when we don’t really feel okay. Because staying in the same house with the same person for a long period of time is not healthy. So if we start feeling nervous or overwhelmed by the situation, we just say the word “Flussigseife” which is the German word for liquid soap (don’t ask, such a long story) and then we know that the other one needs space, or just a hug (even if nowadays it is literally illegal). It works!
Among the different methods we are exploring to kill time here is also giving free rein to our creativity, as you can see from the picture here above, or from reading this article. I haven’t been so busy in a while. It’s paradoxical!
Speaking about the world outside of my house I can say that luckily it’s sunny, otherwise it would be even more oppressive. It’s sunny and quiet.
The general provisions of the decree are that we must stay at home and we can only leave the house to go shopping or to work – well, those who still can – because most people are now working from home or not working at all, like people who work in bars, restaurants, and in other jobs that aren’t necessary for our survival (my hairdresser couldn’t disagree more).
During the first few days of the lockdown some people didn’t really get it and they were trying to go wherever they wanted but some of them received a fine, because there is a fine if you leave your house without any real need to. Some of them are still not following the rules, but survival of the fittest, I guess.
The weirdest thing is going to the supermarket though. There is a surreal atmosphere, everybody is keeping away from each other, there is no music and you feel as if others are judging you. I still haven’t discovered if it’s better to buy a lot of stuff (running the risk of looking selfish) or not to buy very much (and starve at home).
We have to stay in our houses until the 3rd of April, but we don’t know if the lockdown will be extended. Anyway it is good sometimes to stop and think about ourselves and the world around us. It is still sad because people are scared and are dying and the economy will probably collapse, but this lockdown is what we have to go through to stop this virus from spreading. Then we can carry on with our lives. I hope this story will teach us to slow down – we need a rest. Our planet does as well.
Remember, don’t panic, wash your hands, stay safe and Happy Paddy’s Day!
