New rules have been introduced for Covid-19 testing, which means patients will need to meet revised criteria to qualify in future. Patients will have to display two major symptoms - a fever and either a cough or shortness of breath - and fall into a priority group in order to be tested. These are close contacts of a confirmed case, healthcare staff and vulnerable groups. All patients who have not yet been swabbed, and who do not have an appointment for a test date, will not now be tested and will be required to reengage with their GP. The Irish Medical Organisation and the Irish College of GPs said they were seeking clarification from the health service regarding patients who have been given a test date, but who have not yet been tested.

The findings of a new study released underscores the vibrant and important contribution that the over 70s make to society in Ireland. The findings come at a time when many discussions are taking place nationally about the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on our older population, with progressive restrictions on social engagements and the possibility of the advancement of social isolation for this group.

“I am facing 14 days of self isolation and I find the prospect terrifying. Chances are it will continue much longer too, as we may soon face lockdown. But I also wonder whether it may be good for us to slow down and reflect on the human condition. Could this pandemic help us change how we think and act for the better?” Dan, 44, Southampton “They say when trouble comes, close ranks.” So begins Jean Rhys’s novel Wide Sargasso Sea. When the novel coronavirus started spreading in Europe, my first impulse was to travel home, to Italy, to be with my family. Lesson number one learned from the virus: you remember what matters to you. Rhys was, of course, talking about racial tensions in colonial times, not families vs other commitments, or humans vs viruses. But she knew that there are good ways and bad ways of closing ranks. It seems to me we are now experiencing both. As a philosopher in lockdown in Piedmont, I am trying to take the opportunity to think about what the outbreak can tell us about ourselves – and our planet.