LAST UPDATE | 21 Apr 2020

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

1. #COVID-19: A further 77 deaths and 401 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland. This represents the highest daily mortality figure recorded, however the deaths occurred over a period of time rather than in one day.  

2.#IMMIGRATION: US President Donald Trump has said he will temporarily suspend immigration to the United States because of the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the US already being the worst-hit country in the world.

3. #NURSING HOMES: Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan has said that it “wouldn’t make sense“ to have had a strategy to completely prevent the spread of Covid-19 into nursing homes, based on the infection rate of the virus.

4. #ABUSE: Vulnerable children are at heightened risk of abuse and neglect during the Covid-19 pandemic, but services are struggling to reach those most in need due to social distancing restrictions.

5. #ORANGE ORDER: The Orange Order has purchased an order of PPE to distribute to healthcare workers battling Covid-19 across the island of Ireland.

6. #DÁIL: Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl has told TDs that legal advice sought over the potential for the Dáil to sit virtually has said that doing so would be unconstitutional.

7. #TREATMENT: Dozens of hospitals in Australia and New Zealand will trial a HIV treatment and an anti-malaria drug on patients infected with Covid-19.

8. #GREECE: A charity that works with refugees in Greece has said social distancing is “impossible” for people on the islands.

9. #COUPLES: Researchers at University College Dublin are seeking to understand the psychological impact of the Covid-19 quarantine period on couples.