Business Editor Chipmaker Intel is going to begin offering ongoing Covid-19 rapid antigen testing to construction staff working on the site of its new fabrication plant in Leixlip, Co Kildare from next week. The moves comes as the number of construction workers at the site who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus rose to 85, up 15 on yesterday. It is expected the testing will be available from early next week to the up to 5,000 design, engineering and building contractors working on the multi-billion-euro facility and will be offered weekly. In the meantime, the HSE is carrying out sweep testing to try to identify anyone who has contracted the virus as part of the current outbreak.
Varadkar rejects call to ban 'cuckoo funds' from buying up Irish homes newstalk.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newstalk.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
); Opinion: Every government has a choice - this one could ban cuckoo funds from buying up Irish homes Pitting first-time buyers against cuckoo funds is a recipe for disaster, writes Cian O’Callaghan of the Social Democrats. By Cian O Callaghan Thursday 22 Apr 2021, 9:02 AM 1 hour ago 6,235 Views 19 Comments Cian O Callaghan Social Democrats TD Dublin Bay North LARGE INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT funds and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) – or cuckoo funds – are currently buying up houses and especially apartments en masse. This is pushing up prices and putting new homes beyond the reach of many people. According to the Construction Industry Federation, in 2019, 95% of new apartments were sold to institutions, leaving just 5% for everyone else. Individuals and couples can’t compete with these multimillion-euro funds.
LMFM By Ruth O Connell Israel, Albania and St. Lucia have been taken off the list that requires mandatory hotel quarantine The five kilometre travel limit has been lifted, with people free to travel within their county or 20 kilometres from their home. It s one of the Level 5 restrictions being eased, as well as two households being allowed to meet outside - but not in private gardens. All students will return to schools for the first time in 2021 also today. Junior Education Minister Josepha Madigan says getting schools back is what the Government has been working towards: