The 9 at 9: Wednesday

Updated Dec 23rd 2020, 8:45 AM

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

1. #COVID-19: Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said if the country reaches 2,000 Covid-19 cases per day, it would be very challenging for the contact-tracing system.

2. #RESTRICTIONS: Here’s when the new Covid-19 restrictions kick in over the Christmas and New Year period.

3. #BORDER: Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said there will be a garda presence between counties, including along the border, as part of travel restrictions that come into place from St Stephen’s Day.

4. #FRANCE: Three police officers were shot dead in Puy-de-Dome in central France today after being called out to a domestic disturbance, sources in the public prosecutor’s office said.

5. #US: President Donald Trump has suggested he may not sign the bipartisan $900 billion (about €739 billion) pandemic relief package that was passed by Congress unless more money is delivered to individual Americans.

6. #HOME: More than 350 Irish residents stranded in Britain were brought back to Ireland on two “repatriation flights” yesterday evening, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed.

7. #TIER 4: More areas in England could be put into Tier 4 from St Stephen’s Day while a mass testing programme is due to get underway to alleviate congestion at the border between France and the UK.

8. #PARDON: Donald Trump has pardoned 15 people including two men convicted of lying to investigators in a probe into the US president’s election campaign.

9. #FACTFIND: How has Santa amended his Christmas preparations to cope with the pandemic? We take a look ahead of the big day.