LAST UPDATE | 21 Oct 2020

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

1. #COVID-19: Why is Ireland taking a ‘seesaw’ approach to tackling Covid-19. We take a look here. 

2. #CONTACT TRACING: The HSE is to ask more than 2,000 people who received a positive Covid-19 test result last week to alert their own close contacts due to “unprecedented pressure” on Ireland’s contact tracing system. 

3. #DIRECT PROVISION: A new report has recommended that Direct Provision end by mid-2023 and be moved to a State-owned accommodation model. 

4. #HEALTH SERVICE: Four billion euro earmarked to boost the health service could be “wasted” if proper staffing plans are not implemented, a Dáil committee will hear today.

5. #ULSTER BANK: Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said he is “deeply concerned” by reports that the parent company of Ulster Bank is considering winding down its operations in Ireland.

6. #UNITED STATES: Donald Trump into arguably the most important state on the electoral map yesterday, opting for a rally in Pennsylvania instead of formal debate practice two days ahead of the final presidential debate that may be his last and best chance to alter the trajectory of the 2020 campaign.

7. #NIGERIA: Several protesters were killed by Nigerian security forces in Lagos yesterday, Amnesty International said, after witnesses reported armed men opened fire on demonstrators defying a curfew order.

8. #ROBIN SWANN: Northern Ireland’s health minister and chief medical officer have rejected the suggestion the spread of Covid-19 has any link to political affiliation.

9. #LEVEL 5: Want to know exactly what led to the latest Covid-19 restrictions? Check out our latest episode of The Explainer.