Author name: oisinkelly

  There’s been a guarded welcome locally to a return of visiting in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. From yesterday, residents at long-term care facilities and nursing homes are now allowed two visits per week, on general compassionate grounds and once there’s a high level of vaccination in the facility. Since December, some visits […]

  The Health Minister Stephen Donnelly says the country’s fight against the spread of Covid-19 has “appeared to hit the floor”. The five day moving average of cases is now 580 – which is an increase of five percent in the past week. The Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn says people can have

  A booking portal for hotel quarantine is now available online. From 4am on Friday arrivals from 33 countries will have to pre-book into the system. A 12-night stay will cost 1,875 euro with meals to be provided. Taoiseach Micheál Martin says he expects more countries to be added to the list. Health Minister Stephen

  There are further calls on the Government to adequately resource home help support services in Donegal. New figures show that there are almost 120 people in the county who have been approved for home support but remain on a waiting list for the service. The Home Support Service costs approximately €165 a week per

  The Deputy Chief Medical Officer says people could be back living a largely normal day-to-day life by summer. Dr. Ronan Glynn says it can happen if vaccines are rolled out and a fourth wave is suppressed. 520 new cases were reported yesterday, while latest figures show 487,000 people have been given the first dose

  Half of Irish restaurants face permanent closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a group representing the sector. The Restaurants Association will be among the hospitality groups at today’s Oireachtas Tourism Committee, highlighting the need for more supports and a plan for reopening. The Hotels Federation will also outline how revenue across its

Bank of Ireland will today deny it’s using reduced footfall during the pandemic as an excuse to close branches. It will appear before the Oireachtas finance committee to explain why it’s shutting 103 branches across the island in September. Five branches in Donegal are set to go as part of the move. The bank will

  The number of Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes has passed 2,000. The Department of Health will tell an Oireachtas committee today the current figure is 2,009 – which is 44 per cent of all deaths here. But it will say the number of open outbreaks in these settings has dropped by 62 per cent

  Today marks one year since Northern Ireland entered its first full lockdown. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered people to stay at home for three weeks, except for very limited purposes. Nearly 750,000 Covid-19 vaccinations have now been administered in the North, which reported its lowest number of cases in six months yesterday, at

  The Saolta Hospital Group says the COVID 19 vaccination programme for health care workers and medically vulnerable people in Donegal is working well. The centre at Letterkenny Institute of Technology began operating earlier this month, with Saolta CEO Tony Canavan saying it will be ready to deliver vaccines to the wider community once that

The Deputy First Minister at Stormont says Northern Ireland is running the risk of sustaining the collateral damage from ongoing bad faith on the part of the British government in its dealings with the EU. Michelle O’Neill told the assembly that the British authorities have promised one thing and delivered another, and in the face

It’s emerged that Sinn Féin’s finances are being examined by the country’s ethics regulator. The Irish Independent reported at the weekend that the party’s alleged use of funds raised abroad is key to the probe. The purchase in cash of Sinn Fein’s Letterkenny office, for a six-figure sum is said to be the primary concern.

  It’s been revealed that the long awaited Acute stroke unit at Letterkenny University Hospital has officially opened. It opened last week following a number of delays due to Covid-19 with seven stroke patients currently receiving treatment at the new facility. The unit is the result of the major local campaign by hospital consultant Professor

  A Lifford GP believes that the current Covid outbreak in Donegal seems to stem within the county, resulting from some form of interaction about a week ago. It comes as the Covid-19 test centre in Letterkenny was described as ‘stretched’ yesterday with long tailbacks of people waiting in their cars to be tested. There’s

  An investigation is continuing into the discovery of a major tyre dump near Barnesmore Gap. The dump consists of a large number of used car and lorry tyres, dotted across the scenic area. It’s estimated that one pile alone contains around 1,000 tyres. Donegal County Council is carrying out an investigation into the large

  The emergency services have been praised for their swift response and participation in a major search off Buncrana yesterday evening. The incident has since been declared as a well-intentioned false alarm. Two RNLI lifeboats, the Rescue 118 helicopter and the local Gardai were tasked to the scene however after a couple of hours, the

  Up to 75 thousand people are set to receive a covid vaccine this week. The over 75s are now receiving their first dose. It comes as European leaders are considering a vaccine export ban from the EU due to ongoing supply problems with AstraZeneca. Fianna Fail MEP Billy Kelleher believes it needs to be

  Serious concern has been raised over a rise in Covid-19 figures in Donegal. 67 new cases were recorded in Donegal last night with the county’s incidence rate rising to 211.7. Last week, both a local GP and Garda Inspector highlighted a ‘Covid surge’ in south Inishowen with Local Electoral Area figures released later in

  The National Public Health Emergency Team called for all arrivals into the country to complete 14-days of hotel quarantine. Minutes from the group’s meeting on February 18th show they advocated for the move – however only 33 countries have been included on the list. Mandatory hotel quarantine is expected to begin later this week,

  A public health expert’s describing the latest coronavirus figures as ‘troubling’. Nphet has confirmed 769 new cases of covid 19 and 2 more people with the virus have died. 67 new cases were recorded in Donegal with the county’s incidence rate rising to 211.7. Trinity College Dublin Associate Professor Tomás Ryan says the lockdown

  The Martin McGuinness Peace Foundation has launched a new portrait of the late deputy First Minister on his anniversary. Acclaimed artist Tony Bell has created a new portrait of the late Martin Mcguinness to support the peace foundation established in his name. Tony also produced the portrait of Martin that is now displayed in

Almost one in eight people say they know of at least one learner driver who is getting behind the wheel unaccompanied. A new survey from AA Roadwatch has found almost a third of people have been directly affected by limitations on driving tests. Currently just essential workers are allowed take the exam, as part of

The number of people infected with coronavirus is on the rise. 769 new cases have been confirmed and 2 more patients with the virus have died. 284 new cases are in Dublin, with 67 in Donegal, 47 in Offaly, 45 in Meath, 44 in Kildare, and the rest are spread across 20 other counties. The

Ireland’s EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness has denied the bloc is engaging in vaccine nationalism. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has threatened to block exports of AstraZeneca’s Covid jab if it’s European commitments aren’t met. EU leaders are due to meet in the coming week to discuss if action should be taken to address shortfalls

Down Syndrome Ireland is celebrating its 50th year in operation this year as the world marks the international awareness day for the genetic disorder. It’s asking people to mark the occasion by putting on their brightest and most colourful socks and posting a photo on social media. Gardai in Donegal have already got their funky