East Coast FM Wicklow News

Europe's drugs regulator is reviewing possible links between blood clots and Johnson and Johnson's coronavirus vaccine.

Gardai say they're continuing to find groups of people gathering and having house parties, despite Covid-19 guidelines.

A record of almost 629,000 people are waiting for their first hospital outpatient appointment.

There are 473 new cases of Covid-19 in the Republic and 34 additional deaths.

An immunology expert says some of the criticism of Ireland's vaccine rollout has been 'unfair'.

Two months since it was first issued, Irish water says its Do Not Consume Water Notice for customers supplied by the Barndarrig Public Water Supply, remains in place.

Britain's Duke of Edinburgh - Prince Philip - has died.

Cystic Fibrosis Ireland is aiming to raise 300-thousand euro in donations today to fund its work.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority says an Irish case of a rare blood clot associated with the Astrazeneca vaccine will be looked at as a priority.

The number of patients with Covid-19 in public hospitals has continued to fall, and has reached its lowest point in 111 days.

The union representing special needs assistants will discuss the change to the vaccine priority list later today.

Reports today say Construction company BAM has begun legal action against the board of the new National Children’s hospital to recover 20 Million Euro, which it claims is owed because of delays in the project.

Water cannon and police dogs were used on a large group of rioters as violence in Northern Ireland continued last night.

There are 400 new cases of Covid-19 in the Republic and 7 additional deaths.

People aged between 65 and 69 may be able to register for their Covid vaccine as soon as next week.

The one millionth dose of a Covid-19 vaccine has been administered in Ireland today.

Political leaders in the North have called on recent violence to end before someone is killed.

The garda press office has confirmed that a controlled explosion on a hand grenade was carried out early this morning in Rathnew

It’s being claimed that a Dublin Community school has issued a letter to parents warning that their children will be sent home if they are not wearing the correct shoes, despite retail outlets being closed for the last four months.

A Motorist was hit with several fines in Wicklow last weekend after being caught by Gardai dumping rubbish in the Sally Gap.

The Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has asked the HSE for a detailed report on the decision to vaccinate teachers and special needs assistants in Wicklow, South East Dublin and Dun Laoghaire, which went against the existing protocols .

Labour's education spokesperson says he doesn't believe teachers will strike over changes to the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out.

The National Public Health Emergency Team will discuss a link between very rare blood clotting and the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine when it meets later.

The HSE received over 5.2 million euro in income from its public hospital car parks last year.

Police officers, a bus driver and a journalist were attacked as further violence erupted in loyalist parts of Northern Ireland last night.

A man's due in court this morning in connection with a 230-thousand euro drugs seizure in Dublin.

There are 423 new cases of Covid-19 in the Republic and five additional deaths.

A Wicklow father has appealed to parents to ensure they know what their children are doing at all times after his family have been targeted in  a campaign of hatred and racism at their home in North Bray over the last year.

The Green Party leader says there is 'no row' between different departments over the issue of mandatory hotel quarantine.

Unusual blood clots should be listed as a possible side effect of the Astra Zeneca Covid 19 vaccine, according to Europe's health regulator.

The Health Service Executive has confirmed that teachers and SNAs  in a number of special schools in Wicklow and Dublin received covid-19 vaccines in the last few days.

Ireland will receive 3.9 million Covid-19 vaccines over the next three months.

The one millionth dose of Covid-19 vaccine is due to be administered in Ireland today.

A World Health Organisation safety committee will meet today to discuss the safety of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

Three women from Brazil who left a quarantine hotel in Dublin yesterday made it to south Galway before being turned back.

Human rights activists say the government should scrap plans to issue Covid-19 vaccine certs.

A joint motion will be filed at the country's three teacher union conferences today, which could potentially see them take strike action over the change to the vaccine priority list

443 more people have contracted Covid-19, and nine more patients with the disease are confirmed dead.

Secondary school teachers belonging to the ASTI are making it "loud and clear" that class sizes need to be made smaller.

The education minister says the vaccine rollout list was changed because of strong new scientific evidence.

Any industrial action by teachers over removing their vaccine priority won't stop schools reopening immediately after the Easter break.

There's been a 15 percent drop in the number of ICU patients in public hospitals with Covid-19, compared with last week.

Arrivals from 58 countries will be subject to mandatory hotel quarantine from this morning.

Outdoor transmission of Covid-19 accounts for 0.1 percent of the country's Covid-19 cases.

The total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Republic of Ireland has risen to 237,187 with 4,378 cases in County Wicklow.

The RSA believes drug-driving detections will continue to rise for the foreseeable future as enforcement levels go up.

The Department of Education has granted Scoil Chonglais in Baltinglass funding for an extension to their premises in West Wicklow.

Irish Rail has appointed consultants ARUP to oversee the extension of the electrified DART line from Malahide in North Dublin to Drogheda in County Louth.

Forestry workers and firefighters in Wicklow and around the country are on high alert this weekend with breezy, dry weather, increasing the risk of forest fires.

The Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is coming under increasing pressure following reports today that his department was made aware of flaws in a Health Service Executive Staff portal system, which saw people who were not frontline workers receive the vaccine.

The country's five-day moving average of Covid-19 cases has fallen by eight percent in the past week to 536.

Arrivals from France, Germany and the US won't face mandatory hotel quarantine - despite recommendations from public health officials.

The Government is facing calls to reverse its decision on the Covid-19 vaccine priority list for Special Needs Assistants.

It comes as the Government is divided over plans to extend the countries on the quarantine list.

There's been rows in the Dáil over the exact number of vaccines that will arrive into Ireland in April.

The Dublin senior football manager has been suspended for 12 weeks, after a number of players were pictured attending a training session yesterday morning.

Wicklow County Council and relevant stakeholders are being encouraged to form a task force to liaise with Dublin Port Company to ensure Arklow is kept at the forefront as the ideal location for additional port capacity on the East Coast.

The Department of Education has agreed to provide space for an extra first year class in three Wicklow Schools.

It’s being claimed that an online HSE system for staff vaccination has been widely abused by non health care staff, to jump the queue to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

The third wave of Covid-19 has caused 'extensive disruption' to non-Covid healthcare, according to the National Public Health Emergency Team.

The Deputy Chief Medical Officer has appealed to anyone planning on meeting up with others against health advice this Easter, to do so outside.

From today people have the right to disconnect from work and not answer calls or emails outside of working hours.

Gardai have issued a warning that Covid-19 doesn’t take the weekend off for house parties or social gatherings.

Over 11,500 people have attended the walk-in Covid testing centres open since last week.

The founder of Bet 3-6-5 has been awarded one of the biggest pay packets in UK corporate history.

14 million euro worth of drugs has been seized as part of Northern Ireland's biggest drugs find.

There's been a further split in the Green Party with TDs and Senators passing a vote calling on party chairperson Hazel Chu to step aside.

It’s being reported today that members of the Dublin senior football squad broke Covid-19 rules to take part in a secret dawn training session yesterday.

US Prosecutors have offered a plea bargain deal to Molly and Tom Martens over the killing of Jason Corbett.

Cafes and restaurants can avail of a share of €17 million fund to create an outdoor dining space in time for Summer.

Reports today say one of the people injured in a fatal shooting at the club almost three years ago has begun an injuries action against the Club, the Council and Pete Taylor.

House prices rose by an average of 8 per cent nationally in the first quarter of this year.

The number of people in public hospitals with Covid-19 has dropped to its lowest level in three months.

People will be allowed to travel within their own counties in 12 days - or 20km from their home if crossing county boundaries.

The number of Irish residents who flew into Dublin Airport increased by nearly 16 per cent last week.

The government has defended changes to the vaccine roll-out, which have been strongly criticised by sectors that believe they should be given priority.

Dublin Lord Mayor Hazel Chu will face a no-confidence motion as chairperson of the Green Party tonight.

The CEO of the VHI has stepped aside while the board of the company investigates how he received a Covid vaccine at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin.

443,000 people will receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week 13,365 of which are in County Wicklow.

The government has announced the roadmap out of some restrictions over the next month.

The first batch of 1,600 hybrid bicycles have been launched today with the scheme upgrading 50% of the fleet.

The City Council says it is investigating a number of options.

Gardai arrested a man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s this morning.

The National Public Health Emergency team has warned the government against any significant easing of Covid restrictions over the next few weeks.

The Beacon Hospital in Dublin is to carry out an independent review into the controversy over Covid-19 vaccines.

Construction at a social housing development site in Wicklow remains suspended, after ancient bones were discovered there last Friday afternoon.

A Wicklow TD says the failure to properly maintain the River Dargle flood protection scheme completely undermines the project.

The number of children prescribed anti-depressants increased by 25 per cent last year.

The video of George Floyd gasping for breath has opened the first day of a trial against the former police officer accused of his murder.

Tighter bail conditions were imposed yesterday on a woman accused of leading gardai on a high speed car chase on the M50 from Dublin to Bray and back earlier this month.

Gemma Greene appeared before Dublin District Court today, which tightened her bail conditions.

The board of the Beacon Hospital is holding an emergency meeting today to discuss last week's vaccination scandal.

The National Public Health Emergency Team will make recommendations this afternoon on what restrictions can be eased after April 5th.

For the first time, 100,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses were administered in the space of a week, according to the HSE.

Tax breaks for working from home are set to be examined under a new plan from the government to incentivise people to move to rural Ireland.

Over a quarter of Irish workers say the pandemic has made them rethink their career path.

A man in his 20s is due before the courts this morning,  following a drugs seizure in County Kildare at the weekend.

The numbers in Kildare are less than Wicklow and Meath combined.

The Wicklow parents of a young boy waiting two years for an urgent hip correction operation, say they feel they have been ignored by the health service.

The figures compare to a rise of 6.4% on the previous year.

Ireland's newest outdoor tourism attraction is being officially launched today.

The €25 million facility near the IFSC was given the go ahead in 2019.

Katie Taylor will defend her undisputed lightweight titles on May 1st against a very familiar opponent.

Over 750 individual dumping sites have been removed from the Dublin and Wicklow uplands in the past year.

More than half of women in Ireland would not use public transport at night over safety concerns.

Members of the public are being asked to give their input on a Masterplan for Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains National Park. 

Almost €2 Million in funding has been secured for the second phase of a tourism project involving local authorities in Wicklow, Wexford and Waterford, with their counterparts in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion in Wales.

Wicklow Minister Simon Harris has welcomed the County Council move to carry out a social audit in Delgany after planning permission was granted for a housing development on the former lands of the Carmelite nuns.

Last year homophobic and racist graffiti, targeting the Minister for children Roderic O’Gorman and the Dublin Mayor Hazel Chu, appeared in various locations around Bray.

AstraZeneca is set to revise down its vaccine targets for the first quarter of the year, according to Reuters.

It says the single dose vaccine can be administered for those aged 18 years and over.

Local authorities received over 78 thousand environmental complaints in 2019, most of which related to waste issues.

She will remain a member of the government without a portfolio with Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys taking on the justice brief.

The Taoiseach has warned Ireland can't let its guard down quickly, saying any easing of restrictions next month will be modest.

While it had been hoped there would be 1.24 million doses of vaccine in the country by the end of March, the HSE now expects just 1.1 million instead.

Over 7,800 new social homes were delivered in 2020, including over 5,000 new builds, according to the Department of Housing.

The Department of Education has granted Woodbrook College funding for a substantial extension to their premises in North Wicklow.

€50 million in funding has been announced to support the live performance sector.

It means all remaining primary school students and 5th years at second level will return to class next Monday.

His comments come as an overhaul of the CAO system is planned.

The Garden County will feature in a new television series on travel,  which will be broadcast throughout the US. 

The funding is being given to projects in areas including the north and south inner city, Dundrum, Balbriggan, and Adamstown.

A woman in her 20s has died in a two vehicle collision in County Wexford earlier today.

The following arrangements are in place for Wicklow County Council Offices and the Municipal District Offices for week commencing Monday, 8th March 2021.

The CEO of Ryanair says it's unrealistic to expect the EU to have a Europe wide digital vaccine passport to facilitate travel this summer.

The Garda Commissioner is to look again at the resourcing of public order units and push for the early vaccination of gardai against Covid 19.

The Education Minister says there's no plans to introduce mass testing for schools as part of this month's re-opening.

A swimming pool for West Wicklow has been named as a priority project under the County Council’s Capital Plan with €50,000 being allocated for a feasibility study in 2021.

Over 200 residents and business owners in parts of South Wicklow are being told not to consume their household water after elevated levels of nitrite was found in the Barndarig Water Supply.

The current Covid-19 travel restrictions are being partly blamed for an increase in electrical items being dumped in waste bins in Wicklow in January of this year.

The exchequer deficit for the first two months of the year stood at €721 million, which compares to a surplus of just over a €1 billion for the same period last year.

Health Minister Wicklow TD Stephen Donnelly has come under criticism for saying a Zero Covid strategy is not possible in Ireland.

In a joint statement issued last night, the football associations here, Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland welcomed backing from the UK government for the bid, describing it as an "incredible opportunity".

Plans to build a 13 storey apartment block just opposite the train Station overlooking Dun Laoghaire harbour, is facing strong opposition from locals.

Over €1.5 million in funding has been made available for home adaptation works for older people and those living with disabilities in Wicklow.

New laws on mandatory hotel quarantine have now passed all stages in the Oireachtas.

New car registrations are up 6% compared to this time last year.

Irish Water expects construction work on the Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant to begin in the second half of the year.

19 counties had an increase in vacant business premises in the final three months of last year.

A new online survey has been launched by the Minister for higher education Simon Harris on the provision of school places in Wicklow.

The Shoreline Leisure Centre is Greystones has replaced Charlesland Golf Club as a Covid 19 vaccination centre after it was deemed by the HSE to be too small for their needs.

The figures for 2020 show an increase of over €81 million on the numbers for 2019.

CervicalCheck is warning a lack of trust in screening programmes is causing women with cancer to risk their health and lives.

C and N Beauty Rooms on Dublin Street in Balbriggan was opened for a second day in a row this morning.

Wicklow County Council has rejected a claim that boxing coach Pete Taylor should be granted an injunction, preventing the council from terminating either his or Bray Boxing Club’s legal interest in a premises previously used by them at the harbour in Bray.

Level Five lockdown has been extended until April 5th as the schools are set to re-open next week.

The Social Democrats have called for a free vote on their private members motion, which they say is vital to ensure that survivors and their families, who are angered by the commission’s findings, get the answers they are seeking.

Three people have appeared before the Special Criminal Court accused of laundering money allegedly made through criminal means.

It makes Ireland the world leader in share of the grid from onshore wind energy.

Dublin Airport is seeking contractors as part of expansion plans worth up to €50 million.

A former teacher at Terenure College in Dublin has been jailed for eight years for abusing 23 boys at the private school between 1973 and 1990.

An Bord Pleanála has granted permission for a 232 unit housing development on the former lands of the Carmelite nuns in Delgany.

Junior Cert 2021 has also been cancelled after a meeting of the cabinet sub-committee on education.

Irish Water says plans to build a new reservoir in Saggart  will help to safeguard supplies to homes and businesses in the Greater Dublin Area. 

Gardai are to be given extra powers to stop scrambler bikes and quads being used in public parks, on waste ground and beaches.

Over €12.5 million in funding has been announced for the maintenance of regional and local roads in County Wicklow.

Wicklow Minister Simon Harris has called on the County Council to apply for funding from the OPW towards temporary ongoing remedial works at the Breaches in Kilcoole.

The National Transport Authority says the projects, which includes €1.2 million for the Strand road cycle route and €50,000 for the Arklow to Woodenbridge and Shillelagh route, will provide high quality facilities for cyclists and walkers.

While the government's also preparing significantly increased fines for people who try to go on holiday during the pandemic.

A new €60 million COVID Business Aid Scheme is being made available by the government.

A man has been arrested after cocaine worth €150,000 was seized in Sallins in County Kildare.

The government today expanded the eligibility criteria, which will see cards available to all those who are terminally ill and have a prognosis of up to 24 months.

Local celebrity chef Catherine Fulvio has been nominated for 7 Taste awards in the United States for her television series A Taste of Ireland at Ballyknocken Cookery School.

Parts of the Sandymount Seafront in Dublin will be reduced to one way traffic from March 1st to allow for a new cycle route.

Six people died on Irish roads last month despite a significant drop off in traffic volume.

A closure order has been issued for an outbuilding occupied by a food company in Wicklow, where mouse droppings were found.

The fixture list for the upcoming S-S-E Airtricity First Division season was released today, before a final decision on licensing has been agreed.

A new Daft.ie report shows the average rent paid in Ireland is over €1,400.

A Wexford Fianna Fail senator has drafted legislation which he says will overcome a legal issue preventing local authorities in Wicklow and around the country, from using CCTV footage to prosecute people accused of illegal dumping.

The HSE is reviewing homeless deaths in Dublin last year.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee's recommending that any currently authorised Covid 19 vaccine can be given to adults of all ages, including those aged 70 and older.

Gardai have confirmed the woman who has been in a serious condition since the attack near the IFSC was pronounced dead at the Mater Hospital today.

Construction is set to start in the next few months on almost 600 public housing units in South County Dublin.

More than 1,500 people have died in nursing home settings since the start of the pandemic.

Hauliers travelling from Ireland to France can now avail of free Covid-19 antigen testing at a new site at Holmestown jsut outside Wexford town.

The mother of a boy who was murdered in 2019 has called for changes to a law prohibiting the identification of child homicide victims to be fast-tracked.

A new traffic management layout is in place on the N11 southbound carriageway between Junctions 7, the Bray south exit at Hills Garage and junction 8, the Roundwood exit at Kilmacanogue.