NEED TO CATCH up? TheJournal.ie brings you a round up of today’s news.

IRELAND

Cultural historian Claudia Kinmonth with Áine Clarke and her classmate Rosie O'Toole survey books at Nano Nagle Place in Cork. Clare Keogh Clare Keogh

• A minister tested positive for Covid-19; all ministers are now restricting their movements and awaiting a Covid-19 test. The Taoiseach has tested negative
• There were 938 cases confirmed in Ireland, which is the most serious situation Ireland has been in March – NPHET has recommended further restrictions
• Preliminary data suggests that the new Covid-19 variant is present in Ireland - but crucially, isn’t the driving force between the recent surge in cases
• The HSE’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry said Ireland’s Covid-19 situation is now deteriorating more quickly than any other European country
• The killer of Irish solicitor Ciara Glennon was told he is likely to die in prison after being handed a non-parole period of 40 years in prison
• The Taoiseach said he will not skip the queue to get a Covid-19 vaccine

WORLD

Rev Dr Derek Browning puts the Christmas day order of service on socially-distanced chairs inside Morningside Parish Church in Scotland. PA Images PA Images

#BREXCITING: A post-Brexit trade deal could be agreed within hours, EU and UK sources indicated, as negotiations continued between the two leaders.

#ANOTHER NEW VARIANT: The UK placed travel restrictions on people arriving from South Africa after two cases of another new variant of Covid-19 was detected.

PARTING SHOT

How is Santa going to travel all around the world – going into people’s homes, delivering toys – during a global pandemic?

Thankfully, though Santa is in the at-risk group, he’s taken measures to get around the world while remaining compliant with Covid-19 guidelines. 

Here’s our FactFind outlining how exactly he does it (a little bit of magic and a lot of hand sanitizer).