The reopening of schools has been described as a "top priority" by Government to ensure children and teachers are back in the classroom fully by September, with an agreement expected to be reached on a €300m-plus plan to reopen by the end of August at its Cabinet meeting today. Fórsa has said that the new measures to be announced should help boost confidence in school reopening at the end of August. The statement came following lengthy talks on Friday with the Minister for Education and Skills, Norma Foley TD, and senior officials from the department.

Green Party leader Éamonn Ryan has said that urban transport could be transformed in 6 months under the new stimulus plan. The Minister wants local authorities to re-orientate streets towards pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.

Employers may have to report infection diseases such as Covid-19 to the HSA amid fears of clusters appearing in workplaces, according to The Business Post.

IALPA’s Evan Cullen cautioned TDs and senators that Aer Lingus could be wound up without state aid or an easing of travel restrictions in this piece by The Times. IALPA has also warned that Aer Lingus may be liquidated by parent company IAG, who it said would prioritise Iberia and British Airways in order to survive the downturn experienced by the fall in flights.

Elsewhere in aviation, Ryanair's revenue plunged 95% during the first quarter of the year as it reported a first quarter loss of €185 million compared to net profit of €243 million during the same period last year. Read more about that here. The Sunday Times reports that the airline has threatened legal action against the Government if it fails to expand the list of countries to which Irish travellers can go to include Britain and all EU member states. 

Meanwhile, SIPTU has raised serious concerns about the current level of protection from Covid-19 for Dublin Airport staff.

The Business Post reports that civil servants will not be permitted to work remotely during a post travel quarantine.

ICTU’s Laura Bambrick is in The Times this morning, speaking about flexible working. 

The Examiner reports that Government is unwilling to pay a €3.20 work-from-home allowance to civil servants during the pandemic, despite some reporting significant mobile phone and broadband bills. The Department of Public Expenditure had been contacted by the Revenue Commissioners asking if employees could be reimbursed for costs incurred from having a home office. 

The Spice Girls bring us our zen this morning. Their anthem 'Wannabe' is 24 years old today.

Have a good day folks.