The seven-week saga over childcare supports for essential health staff took another turn yesterday as the HSE rowed back on proposals it put forward on Tuesday. RTE’s 6.01 News led on Forsa’s critical response (14 minutes) and later interviewed Siptu’s Paul Bell. (23:40) Fórsa also featured strongly in reports in the Irish Times, Examiner and Indo.

In other health-related news, it's been reported that private hospitals are currently operating at just 33 per cent capacity. While the Taoiseach yesterday said that Covid-19 figures "just aren't good enough yet" to start easing restrictions, as confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland have now surpassed 20,000.

In aviation, British Airways is preparing to cut almost 30 per cent of its 42,000-strong workforce. IAG, the airline’s parent company, warned that a return to 2019 passenger levels would take “several years” and announced plans to cut up to 12,000 jobs.

Elsewhere, Stobart Air has said that routes operated between Ireland and the UK by the airline under the current Aer Lingus Regional contract would be attractive to other airlines in the event that Stobart Air does not secure an extension to that contract, which expires at the end of 2022.

Ireland's first ever 'virtual industrial relations rally' took place yesterday ahead of Debenhams' liquidation hearing. Workers at the retail giant urged the government to step in as they spoke out during the day of action in their ongoing campaign for a fair redundancy.

In some non-coronavirus related news, the one year abstinence period for blood donations by gay and bisexual men in Northern Ireland will be reduced to three months on June 1st, bringing them in line with UK regulations. While in the Republic, sexual health advocates continue to work with the Irish Blood Transfusion Service on reviewing the one year abstinence rule.

And finally, with this Zen I wish you all a happy poetry day. The theme for this year's festival is 'there will be time' and Poetry Ireland have arranged a number of online events to mark the occasion. To start you off, here's Margaret Atwood (of The Handmaid's Tale fame) reading her poem The Moment over on Instagram.