The spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19 looks likely to affect restrictions on visitors to Ireland from the UK, Cabinet is to discuss any changes tomorrow, while the rhetoric from Westminster on the Northern Ireland Protocol dials up a notch.

Barry O'Halloran in the Irish Times has a detailed analysis of what happened at Stobart, while the Business Post outlines how net liabilities at the airline tripled to €68.5m as turnover plummeted 73% from normal levels due to Covid travel restrictions. The Post's front page also has a story about 500 Lufthansa jobs at risk in Shannon, one of the largest employers in the midwest region, while the front page of today's Irish Examiner reports that Kerry airport is also mired in financial crisis.

The Post's editorial resonates with Fórsa's warning about the industry: "It is now clear that the government needs to take urgent action to prevent further job losses and damage to Ireland’s vitally important aviation sector...Unless a detailed plan is announced soon to support the restart and recovery of the aviation sector, the government risks inflicting irreparable damage to a sector that was the envy of Europe in terms of our connectivity with key regions of the world before Covid-19 hit."

In Saturday's Irish Times Cliff Taylor called for strategic thinking and policy-making around the issue of remote working, and argued Government must look beyond the short term, implement policies now to make people’s lives easier, develop rural towns and save on the "ghastly commutes which have blighted so many lives," and the Post reports that, ten years after the social partnership system collapsed, the government is formulating a plan to relaunch social dialogue.

The Post's front page also carried news that a European Commission agency has warned the Government that bulk leasing of social homes significantly favours institutional funds and leaves councils with no “substantial economic benefits," while Fintan O'Toole has some things to say about local government, which is pretty much in-step with reform proposals in the More Power To You campaign.

Elsewhere, successful actor and writer Mark O'Halloran (Adam and Paul, Garage) wrote about his perspective on Ireland's housing crisis, and I recommend having a read of what he has to say.

Zen

Your Zen moment this morning comes from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs in France (via the Irish Times European correspondent Naomi O'Leary), and its current TV campaign for the vaccination roll out. It's a nice touch. Globally speaking, the ad has gone...dare I say it?...viral. I'll get me coat. But before I do, there's also this one, which would bring a tear to a glass eye.

Have a great week.

Niall