LAST UPDATE | 19 Feb 2021

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

1. #ULSTER BANK: The bank is to commence a “phased withdrawal” from the market in the Republic of Ireland over the coming years.

2. #SCHOOLS: The Cabinet Covid-19 sub-committee has given the green light for the phased reopening of schools in March and April. 

3. #LEVEL 5: No major easing of restrictions beyond the re-opening of schools are expected until May.

4. #NPHET: Health officials have said that cases won’t get down to 200-400 per day by 1 March but will likely be between 400-500 per day by that point. 

5. #COVID-19: A further 901 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Ireland and 57 deaths. 

6. #LIFE ON MARS: Nasa’s Perseverance rover has landed on the red planet, the space agency has announced.

7. #DROGEHDA: The Drogheda Educate Together school is to remain on its current site, it has been announced, after parents and school leaders expressed their dismay at plans to move the secondary school to a new location.

8. #FACTCHECK: Covid-19 claims shared on an LED screen driven around a number of locations in Ireland are false. 

9. #ISRAEL: A study has shown that the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine is up to 85% effective after the first dose.