The Government is aiming to curb the spread of coronavirus to such an extent that this will allow it to ease restrictions on a trial basis, according to this piece. The plans also include the rapid reintroduction of strict measures  if the virus shows signs of spreading again.

The Times reports that Covid-19 is having a “severe impact” on the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) €200 million a year revenues. The IAA has agreed with its unions that it will pay staff their full salaries until the end of May. Fórsa, which represents workers at the IAA, told members recently that the authority had agreed with its panel of unions that it would not take steps to cut costs during that time. “If any measures are required thereafter it will be by consultation and agreement with unions,” Fórsa said

Elsewhere, lecturers are calling for an emergency plan for universities, which they believe could be facing financial ruin due to a likely collapse in the number of foreign students enrolling in the next academic year due to the Covid-19 crisis. With international students accounting for up to a third of fee income for many colleges across the country, third-level staff lay-offs may be inevitable without an urgent rescue package for the sector, the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) has warned. 

A growing number of older people, laid off in recent weeks, are angry at not qualifying for the Covid-19 unemployment benefit and have added their voices to calls for the upper-age limit to be waived. The Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment of €350 per week is available to anyone aged 18-66, however anyone over 66 who was working is entitled to a contributory State pension, worth up to €248.30 per week.

The executive of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) is to meet this  morning amid confusion about teaching arrangements for the delayed Leaving Cert exams. Minister for Education Joe McHugh announced last week that the exams would go ahead in July. This was followed by a meeting of the ASTI executive on Friday night, after which a statement relating to arrangements for teachers was posted.

Mandate is polling members on working conditions and has already received over 1,000 responses. Retail workers say they are feeling the pressure to work extra hours during the pandemic and have trouble getting childcare while they do it. Read more here.

An Irish man has been questioned by gardaí as part of an international investigation into what is described as a sophisticated €15m Covid-19 scam. The investigation was launched when German health authorities made an upfront payment online of €1.5m for face masks, only to discover the website advertising the PPE was being operated by scammers.

The International Monetary Fund has announced immediate debt relief for 25 poor countries to help them free up funds to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The countries are nearly all in Africa, but Afghanistan, Yemen, Nepal and Haiti are also on the list.

Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin are expected to sign off on a framework document today, on how a coalition government between their two parties would work. The document is expected to include commitments that there will be no increases in income tax over the lifetime of the next government, speeding up the implementation of the Sláintecare plan, trialling a State childcare scheme and ramping up the delivery of social and affordable housing, among other issues.

And finally, this opinion piece by Anthony O'Connor of The Times highlights he relevance of Sláintecare in a post-Covid-19 world, more than ever before.

It is a common chorus among pet owners, that dogs are the only ones whose lives have been improved by coronavirus. But it’s important to note that our animals are making isolation more bearable too. That considered, our zen is brought to us by the pooches of  BBC sports commentator Andrew Cotter who, in the absence of actual sports to commentate, has turned his attention to his two labradors: the older Olive and the younger Mabel.

Have a safe week folks.