Mandate Trade Union, which represents 30,000 workers in the retail sector is calling for customers to respect essential frontline workers, including those working in shops in what is the most stressful time of the year. The union said it has received worrying reports of increased abuse towards shop workers in recent weeks with the prolonged nature of the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent spike in numbers clearly exacerbating the stress levels in what is already a busy period for workers.

Parents in Dublin weren’t delighted with the late notice of the decision to close schools in the capital last night. The message was communicated to schools and on to parents at around 10.30pm. 

Elsewhere, SIPTU representatives have called on the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, to directly intervene in a dispute concerning Local Employment Services (LES) following the publication of a report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which found that their privatisation does not deliver “value for money”. More on that here. 

The Climate Change Advisory Council has said there are multiple “critical gaps” between the climate policies that the government has endorsed and the actions that it is taking in practice.

On the international front this morning, Australia is joining the US diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics.  

And finally, one Tiktok user has described the experience of celebrating New Year’s Eve out in the town this year while the previous restrictions were still in place. What could have been…