Photo above – World on brink of famines of biblical proportions, UN warns. See last paragraph below
NORTHERN IRELAND
Third of NI coronavirus-related deaths occur in care homes, NISRA figures suggest
On Friday, the precise nature of the impact was laid out in stark terms by the Northern Ireland Statistical and Research Agency (NISRA). Of the 276 deaths involving Covid-19 in Northern Ireland up to April 17, 60.1% occurred in hospitals while 33.7% occurred in care homes.
On Friday it was also revealed that Northern Ireland has suffered another 15 deaths related to coronavirus.
Emma Spence, sister of the Ulster rugby player Nevin Spence who died in a tragic farm accident eight years ago, along with his brother and father, has given birth to twin boys. Touchingly, they have been named in tribute to Nevin, his brother Graham and dad Noel, who all lost their lives in the tragedy.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Simon Harris sorry for ‘awful boo-boo’ about 18 viruses. The Republic’s health minister has apologised after incorrectly saying there were 18 coronaviruses before Covid-19
Data suggests people in the Republic are starting to increase movement, says chief medical officer
Dr Holohan said the data provided an evidential base to back up concerns arising from anecdotal reports of a slackening in adherence to lockdown measures.
Irish public must ‘double-down’ on social distancing if restrictions eased -“ We can only move into this next stage if people take responsibility for how they engage in more relaxed behaviour, whether it’s going back to work or children going back to school and it isn’t enough to have four-fifths of us actually taking this seriously”
GREAT BRITAIN
Boris Johnson will return to work on Monday and perhaps not a moment too soon for the country. While Dominic Raab has performed solidly as a stand-in, the lack of clear leadership at an incredibly trying time has taken its toll. While the UK’s approach has not differed substantially from European countries in a similar position, France, as an example, has clearly benefitted from the sense that Emmanuel Macron is firmly in charge.
On Thursday, Nicola Sturgeon presented the Scottish government’s official plan for how and when the lockdown could be eased.
The First Minister said she wanted to have a “grown-up conversation” with the public about the lockdown and warned that not only would it not be eased for some time yet, but that a full lockdown could be reimposed at any time and at short notice. She explained that social distancing measures would need to continue for many months and that the lockdown could not be flicked off like a light switch.
The plan also provided light detail on what next steps could happen, with the focus on a phased process. Pubs and large public gatherings would be the last things to return, but smaller gatherings could return sooner and schools and businesses could reopen with social distancing measures in place.
WORLD
World on brink of famines of biblical proportions, UN warns. The head of the United Nations’ food agency has warned that, as the world is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, it is also “on the brink of a hunger pandemic” that could lead to “multiple famines of biblical proportions” within a few months
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