Malahide

45502 It was less warm today than many of the previous days here with 25 degrees Celsius or more.

COVID Diary: Enjoying Venice Without the Tourists By Sabina Castelfranco May 18, 2020 11:59 AM VENICE, ITALY - The sight of Venice with the water in its empty canals clearer than I have ever seen, and with its unused gondolas lined up along its banks, will stay with me forever. Everyone tries to visit this city at least once in their lifetime, bringing their children to see one of the world’s truly unique places. Personally, I have been to Venice many times but never thought I would have the opportunity to see it without tourists. It is unimaginable to see this incredible city built on water without the millions of visitors that come from all corners of the world every year. They are normally everywhere along the narrow alleyways, or busy taking selfies on the Bridge of Sighs or in Saint Mark’s Square. For the past two months, because of the very strict lockdown in Italy due to COVID-19, this has been the new reality in Venice, and one that is likely to continue for many weeks to come. The big cruise ships that Venetians have complained about for years are unlikely to re-appear anytime soon. Italians from outside the Veneto region will probably be the first to come back to admire and appreciate the lagoon city in a very different way.

45500 Bingo

45499 For the tip

45498 Thanks

45494 I was surprised to hear that Boris Johnson is easing the British corona lockdown but that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland reject the measure. It seems the United Kingdom is no longer united..

Happy birthday to Bono! This is a picture from the year I got to know the band: Bono waving the flag at the Torhout festival 1982 in my country.

45480 People here get a fine when they are caught during a non essential trip.

45478 First count in five days. Corona is still all over the place. Literally (more than 7000 people died here as a result of the virus until now) but also in the media. All day long that nasty virus dominates the headlines.

Great show. U2 at their best.

45474 Counting at the end of another day w!th good weather and an overload of corona news.

45470 In Belgium all casualties are counted, including the people who die in care homes. Most of the people die in those care homes now. In a lot of those homes many patients and personnel are infected. It's a disaster because the homes were neglected at first when all the attention went to the hospitals. Many people who work in those care homes still don't have proper material to protect themselves. Only a few days ago the authorities started testing in the care homes to see who is infected and who not. In quite a few care homes the majority of both personnel and patients is infected. Personnel that is infected but doesn't have symptoms of corona is allowed to continue their job at the moment. The total number of casualties here lies above 4000 people now. That is proportianally more than in other countries, but people who died presumably from corona (so without proof) are part of the statistics with the corona victims.

45468 Another 303 people died here from corona during the last 24 hours. That brings the total number of casualties until now at 3903.

45465 The splendid weather here will come to an end. As from tomorrow a temperature drop is announced.

Irish rock band U2 is contributing €10 million for the sourcing and purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supports to help combat Covid-19 in Ireland, and support frontline healthcare workers. The first part of the shipment arrived yesterday. The large consignment of medical supplies arrived at Dublin Airport after a collaboration between a number of private and public companies. Eleven days ago, Irish aircraft leasing company Avolon offered one of its planes to the Health Service Executive. Yesterday, it delivered the large cargo, including 40 ventilators. Touching down at the airport with a cargo-load of medical supplies from China, Avolon re-routed the plane which was due to travel from Beijing to France. "This entire project was conceived and executed in just ten days," said Emmet Moloney of Avolon. "We want to support the remarkable people on the front lines of our healthcare services. Avolon is an Irish company. We're proud and privileged to play our part in that." Avolon said it is confident the supplies are of the highest quality available. "We're talking 40 ventilators, approximately 60,000 goggles, 20,0000 face masks - which are the type of masks required in the ICU settings - also over a million disposable gloves, so it's a significant amount of equipment," said Dr Niall Mulvihill, a consultant cardiologist. "To the best of our knowledge it's all been quality assured but obviously we'll have to check it on arrival." Paddy Mallon, Professor of Microbial Diseases at UCD, added: "It's fabulous seeing the innovation the Irish diaspora is using to try to get these supplies back into the country. "They've been vitally useful to us on the front line in terms of the frontline services within our Covid emergency department pathway, as well as helping us to take care of the people on the wards here, a lot of whom are in the process of recovering from the infection. It's really welcome." The delivery was a collaboration between Avolon, Cork company PCH, the HSE, the IDA and the Irish Embassy in China. In a statement yesterday, the HSE said many supply partners are working extremely hard to meet its requirements in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. "While the HSE cannot comment on any individual transaction, all products procured are checked to ensure they meet the highest international standards before being transported. Products received into our warehouse are inspected prior to delivery to hospitals and nursing homes across the country," the statement added. https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2020/0408/1129416-ppe-supplies/