LAST UPDATE | 30 Apr 2020

EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you all the news you need to know as you start the day.

1. #CORONAVIRUS: The Department of Health last night confirmed a further 31 people diagnosed with Covid-19 have died in Ireland.

2. #LOANS: Banks are expecting to extend the Covid-19 mortgage payment break beyond the initial three-month period.

3. #VULNERABLE: Parents with sick children have been speaking about what it’s like to have a child with a compromised immune system.

4. #TICKETS: Ticket-selling company Ticketmaster has changed its terms and conditions for refunded tickets for rescheduled events, saying it will no longer refund service fees.

5. #DUMPING: Dublin City Council has said there’s been an “unprecedented and unacceptable” increase in illegal dumping of household waste. 

6. #SAFETY: The HSE has said pregnant healthcare staff should not be working with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 patients, reversing earlier guidance. 

7. #STATESIDE: US President Donald Trump has said the federal government will not be extending its coronavirus social distancing guidelines once they expire on Thursday.

8. #CORONAVIRUS: Oxford University has partnered with pharmaceutical giant AstraZenenca for the development, manufacture and large-scale distribution of a Covid-19 vaccine candidate.

9. #FOUL STENCH: The Swedish University town of Lund will spread foul-smelling chicken manure in its main park this week to deter revellers from attending a spring celebration.