LAST UPDATE | 18 Jun 2020

PUBS WILL BE permitted to impose one-metre social distancing, rather than two-metres, in some cases when they re-open.

That’s according to a final report published late last night by Fáilte Ireland which confirmed that where two-metre physical distancing is not possible, businesses will be permitted to implement one-metre distancing in controlled environments provided other risk mitigation requirements have been met and pre-booked time slots are in place.

Fáilte Ireland’s report is based on draft guidance from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) to safely re-open the sector. 

Publicans have been critical of the plans, claiming “it just doesn’t work for us, it doesn’t work for our customers and it doesn’t work for the business”. 

Here are today’s Covid-19 main points:

• Health officials have confirmed this evening that a further four people with Covid-19 have died in this country.
• HSE chief Paul Reid will tell TDs today of “very significant changes” that are needed for the treatment of vulnerable older people. 
• The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) will today consider whether hairdressers can reopen early, the two metre social distancing rule, and when weddings can take place. 
• According to the HSE’s latest update, as of 6pm yesterday, there were 50 people with Covid-19 in Irish hospitals. There were 21 people being treated in critical care units across the country at the same time last night.
• There are a further 199 patients in hospital who are suspected of having Covid-19 who are waiting on a test result. 
• Minister for Health Simon Harris has said that he has asked public experts to contact the HSE on plans to make the drug dexamethasone – which performed well in a trial treating Covid-19 patients – available to treat patients in Ireland. 
• Pubs may be permitted to impose one-metre social distancing in some cases if a two-metre distance is not possible, new guidance says.
• Publicans, however, have expressed their frustrations at the length of time it took to publish guidelines which will allow them to re-open later this month. 
• Just 937 CervicalCheck tests and no BreastCheck exams were carried out in April. 
• Has Covid-19 changed your relationship with alcohol or drugs? Take part in a special edition of the Global Drugs Survey. 

Here are today’s international Covid-19 main points:

• Beijing has seen a drop in confirmed cases amid its efforts to stem the spread of Covid-19 following a recent outbreak. 
• South Korea reported 59 cases as infections continue to steadily rise in the greater Seoul area.
• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron today, and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the pair would be discussing travel corridors between the two countries. 
• A new study on misinformation on online media in the UK found that more than one in 20 people think the symptoms that most individuals blame on coronavirus appear to be connect to 5G.
• Australian airline Qantas has said it will cut all international flights until late October. 
• Despite its largely successful attempts to control the spread of Covid-19, new figures have shown New Zealand had its worst economic contraction in 29 years in the first quarter of this year. 
• The number of daily deaths in the US was 840 yesterday, the seventh day in a row it has been below 1,000. 
• The death toll in Sweden has risen above 5,000. 
• Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to announce Scotland will move to a second phase of its plan to ease lockdown measures today.