Coronavirus

European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel giving a press briefing after a virtual European Council meeting on Thursday. Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA European leaders outline bleak Covid-19 outlook after states meet
A lone worshipper in the Church of St Thérèse, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin. Churches remain open private prayer during Level 5 restrictions. File photograph: Bryan O Brien Restrictions on religious services to stay after archbishops meet Taoiseach
British prime minister Boris Johnson visiting a hospital in Reading, west London. He is weighing up whether to scrap his three-tiered local lockdown approach. Photograph: Jeremy Selwyn/pool/AFP via Getty Images Calls grow in England for national lockdown as Covid cases rise
Annamma Samuel, CNM2 home therapies, and consultant nephrologist Prof George Mellotte in the reception area of the new Vartry renal unit at TUH Covid-19: Number of people needing kidney dialysis has ‘increased dramatically’
The new coronavirus variant was initially identified among Spanish farm workers, and has spread rapidly through much of Europe since the summer, according to new research published by an international team of scientists on Thursday. Illustration: Paul Scott ‘Too early’ to know significance of new Covid-19 variant, say HSE officials
The Department of Education has asked schools to withdraw more than 50 hand sanitisers, wipes and detergents from schools after it was unable to guarantee if they were safe to use. Photograph: iStock Schools told to withdraw more than 50 hand sanitisers, wipes and detergents
German chancellor Angela Merkel: ‘We are in a dramatic situation that affects us all, without exception.’ Photograph: Filip Singer/EPA Merkel prepares Germans for ‘hard winter’ and second lockdown
A street in downtown Barcelona. The region of Catalonia has announced additional restrictions on weekends for the next two weeks, preventing movement to and from towns and cities. Photograph: EPA/Enric Fontcuberta Coronavirus: Spain extends state of emergency by six months

Ireland

A lone worshipper in the Church of St Thérèse, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin. Churches remain open private prayer during Level 5 restrictions. File photograph: Bryan O Brien Restrictions on religious services to stay after archbishops meet Taoiseach
Annamma Samuel, CNM2 home therapies, and consultant nephrologist Prof George Mellotte in the reception area of the new Vartry renal unit at TUH Covid-19: Number of people needing kidney dialysis has ‘increased dramatically’
The new coronavirus variant was initially identified among Spanish farm workers, and has spread rapidly through much of Europe since the summer, according to new research published by an international team of scientists on Thursday. Illustration: Paul Scott ‘Too early’ to know significance of new Covid-19 variant, say HSE officials
Taoiseach Micheál Martin: ‘I think we’ve made it very clear in terms of the travel advice and that remains.’ File photograph: The Irish Times Covid crisis: Too early for clarity on Christmas, says Taoiseach
Eight more people with coronavirus have died in Northern Ireland in the last 24 hours. File photograph: Alan Betson Coronavirus: Eight more deaths and 822 cases reported in Northern Ireland

World

European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel giving a press briefing after a virtual European Council meeting on Thursday. Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA European leaders outline bleak Covid-19 outlook after states meet
British prime minister Boris Johnson visiting a hospital in Reading, west London. He is weighing up whether to scrap his three-tiered local lockdown approach. Photograph: Jeremy Selwyn/pool/AFP via Getty Images Calls grow in England for national lockdown as Covid cases rise
German chancellor Angela Merkel: ‘We are in a dramatic situation that affects us all, without exception.’ Photograph: Filip Singer/EPA Merkel prepares Germans for ‘hard winter’ and second lockdown
A street in downtown Barcelona. The region of Catalonia has announced additional restrictions on weekends for the next two weeks, preventing movement to and from towns and cities. Photograph: EPA/Enric Fontcuberta Coronavirus: Spain extends state of emergency by six months
A medical worker collects a swab sample from a woman at a Covid-19 coronavirus screening site in New Delhi on Thursday. Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images Coronavirus: Britain resists lockdown as Europe counts cost

Business

Permanent TSB announced this week that it is selling €1.4bn of boom-time, interest-only buy-to-let mortgages to Citigroup. File photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times PTSB’s €1.4bn sale is a sign it is preparing for a fresh loans crisis
GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccines unit took a hit as patients stay away from surgeries during Covid-19. Photograph: Loriene Perera/Reuters GSK warns Covid-19 will dent full-year earnings
The US arm of the Oxford-AstraZeneca study was given the go-ahead to resume on Friday, having been halted since September 6th after a participant developed neurological symptoms. Photograph: Nelson Almeida/AFP Oxford Covid vaccine trials offer hope for elderly
CPA Ireland says employers continue to struggle to source qualified accountants. Photograph: iStock Covid-19 will worsen shortage of accountants, says CPA Ireland
MMFs are mutual funds where banks, companies and governments can place money in the short term to get marginally higher income than putting cash on deposit in banks. Photograph: iStock Some Irish money market funds came close to danger in March

Opinion & Analysis

European Council president Charles Michel: ‘Within the space of just a few weeks, the situation has escalated from worrying to alarming.’ Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA/POOL ‘We must avoid a tragedy’: European Council head on Covid-19 mistakes
The contact tracing call centre in UCD. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd Q&A: Testing and tracing - Figuring out what the numbers mean
While latest data released by public health authorities indicates that schools are safer than the wider community and are not driving transmission of Covid-19, ASTI members still have concerns. Photograph: Alan Betson School closures on the agenda following ASTI vote
Republic of Ireland’s Robbie Brady after Ireland’s loss to Finland in September. Research demonstrates that a team losing can have a negative effect on mood sometimes that last many days and even weeks. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Watching sport during lockdown may be bad for your health
‘The Covid tracker app was launched after a long wait with much fanfare and promise but its usefulness remains unknown.’ Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire Coronavirus: How to sort out the HSE’s contact tracing in six weeks
‘The Oireachtas is not being allowed to do its job either. There are people who want to prevent voting divisions on the basis that they cannot be safely conducted within Leinster House.’ Photograph: Getty Images Michael McDowell: We must check if this Covid-19 lockdown is really necessary
A man wearing a face mask as a precaution against coronavirus transmission walks past a mural in Dublin. Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images Lessons of pandemic key as Ireland stands at crossroads
Knock, knock. Who’s there? The garda. The garda who? Photograph: iStock Fintan O’Toole: Knock-knock joke on house parties is a Covid charade
‘We know we are at the forefront of a national endeavour to keep our schools open,’ writes John Curtis. ‘We are proud of the progress to date and will do everything we can to enable that to continue.’ Photograph: Alan Betson Teachers are pulling out all the stops yet education continues to be underfunded

Life & Style

Sylvia Beach and James Joyce at Shakespeare and Company. Photograph: Gary Quinn Paris bookshop that Joyce frequented Shakespeare and Company begs for help
Geocaching requires a device with GPS, and the app, to find caches hidden all over Ireland by fellow players. Photograph: iStock Lockdown midterm guide: four tips for a happy Thursday
Photograph: iStock Calm down covidiots, it’s nothing personal
How Kim Kardashian West’s trip to a private island launched a thousand memes
You could try Pandemic the board game. Photograph: iStock Lockdown midterm guide: Beat the midweek slump with these four great ideas

Sport

Craig Maxwell-Keys will oversee Exeter’s clash with Wasps at Twickenham on Saturday. File photograph: Getty Images Premiership final referee Wayne Barnes tests positive for Covid-19
Laois’ Zach Tuohy and Kerry’s Mark O’Connor will be key players for Geelong in Saturday’s AFL Grand Final. File photograph: Getty Images Irish duo set for AFL Grand Final as sport lifts the gloom Down Under
The Antrim footballers are eager for their match against Waterford to played this weekend: “we believe that the integrity of the league needs to be upheld. If we are good enough to collect two points we will do it in a fair and manly manner on the field of play.” Photograph: Inpho Waterford accept Antrim’s offer to play league match in Dundalk
England’s international friendly against New Zealand in November has been called off. File photograph: Getty Images New Zealand pull out of England friendly due to travel restrictions
Nir Bitton ahead of Israel’s match against Scotland at Hampden Park on Thursday night. Photograph: PA Celtic player Nir Bitton tests positive for Covid-19

Education

The Department of Education has asked schools to withdraw more than 50 hand sanitisers, wipes and detergents from schools after it was unable to guarantee if they were safe to use. Photograph: iStock Schools told to withdraw more than 50 hand sanitisers, wipes and detergents
Members of the ASTI union have voted in favour of industrial action up to and including work stoppages unless the Government addresses a number of concerns regarding Covid-19 in schools. Photograph: David Sleator/The Irish Times Taoiseach pledges schools will reopen after midterm
Teachers also supported industrial action over lower pay rates in place for more recent entrants to the profession ‘to be taken in conjunction with one or both of the other teacher unions’. Photograph: David Sleator/The Irish Times Department insists schools are safe as ASTI members back strike
Covid has been found to have spread significantly in fewer than 10 schools, says Nphet. Photograph: Getty Images Covid-19 transmitted in fewer than 10 schools – Nphet
Since the country moved into nationwide Level 5 lockdown last week, teachers’ trade unions have expressed concerns over schools remaining open. Photograph: iStock Some schools missing up to 10 teachers over wait for Covid-19 test result – ASTI

Guides

A man wearing a face walks past a mural in Dublin on October 21st. Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Life under Level 5: Where can I go, who can I see, what is closed and what is open?
The 14-day incidence of the virus in Donegal has more than doubled in a week, to 122.5 per 100,000 people. Covid-19 Q&A: How are we doing, is there any good news and what happens now?
Children need to know that they have to keep their distance from people outside their immediate family. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos The new Covid rules: what you can do – and what you can't
Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly arriving at Dublin Castle to unveil the new Covid-19 plan. Photograph: Julien Behal/PA Wire Q&A: What is the latest Government plan to manage coronavirus?
A passenger wears a mask on a bus in Dublin city centre. Photograph: Alan Betson Living with Covid plan: What is in each of the five levels?
The flu vaccine is free for those over 65, people with long-term health issues and children. Photograph: iStock Are your symptoms flu or Covid-19? How to tell the difference
‘I truly believe a flu jab and a renewed zeal for hand washing and social distancing will make the winter ahead a bearable one.’ Photograph: iStock Have I got the flu or Covid-19? Could I have both?
Employers can pay workers an allowance of €3.20 a day to compensate for home expenses without paying any tax, PRSI or the universal social charge on it. Photograph: Getty Images Working from home: Who pays your heating bills this winter?
The key thing when washing face masks is to build up a good lather because the virus hates soap. Photograph: iStock ‘Treat your face mask like your underwear.’ How to care for your reusable face covering
The precise details of the EU traffic-light system will be agreed at an EU Council of Ministers meeting on October 15th. Photograph: Getty Images Where can I travel abroad to now? Well, it’s complicated
Passengers wearing face masks on an Olympic Air De Havilland Canada aircraft flying from Athens. Certain factors on board, such as raised seat backs, can help lessen virus transmission. Photograph: Nicolas Economou/ NurPhoto via Getty Images How safe is air travel during the coronavirus pandemic?
IAs companies gingerly prepare to reopen their offices, workers are coming to terms with the reality that it is impossible to make things 100 per cent safe. How safe is it to go back to the office?

Coronavirus - the Science

Hanwha Eagles players line up wearing face masks ahead of the opening game of South Korea’s new baseball season. Photograph: Jung Yeon-Je/Getty/AFP Coronavirus – the science: Big shift in thinking on face masks
Vaccines doses in bottles prepared by a team of experts at the University of Oxford. Photograph: Sean Elias/PA Wire Coronavirus – the science: The six milestones Ireland needs to reach before easing restrictions
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the US, said people should not assume a change in the weather will limit the spread of the coronavirus. ‘You must assume that the virus will continue to do its thing,’ he said. Photograph: Al Drago/The New York Times. Coronavirus – the science: The case for crushing Covid-19 rather than living with it

Editorials

The Irish Times view on autumn in lockdown: wonders within 5km The Irish Times view on autumn in lockdown: wonders within 5km
The Irish Times view on the return to lockdown: a country in deep-freeze The Irish Times view on the return to lockdown: a country in deep-freeze

Letters

Covid-19 – a national research biobank is urgently needed
Covid-19 and nursing homes
EU solidarity is essential
Coronavirus – a time for working together
Coronavirus – a time for concerted action
Constitution and homelessness crisis
Coronavirus and global solidarity
Coronavirus – focus on healthcare staff
Covid-19 in Gaza
Insurers and a national emergency
All Coronavirus Articles