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THE Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of fewer than five additional cases of Covid-19 in Clare and six additional deaths related to COVID-19 nationally. All reported deaths occurred in March. The median age of those who died was 79 years and the age range was 49 to 87 years.There has been a total of 4,687 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of midnight, Tuesday, March 30, the HPSC has been notified of 411 confirmed cases of Covid-19. There is now a total of 235,854* confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. Of the cases notified today: 202 are men / 209 are women 70% are under 45 years of age The median age is 35 years old 150 in Dublin, 31 in Donegal, 25 in Kildare, 25 in Wexford, 21 in Offaly and the remaining 159 cases are spread across 17 other counties**. As of 8am today, 297 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 67 are in ICU. …

SAFETY improvements are to be made at a scenic walk, along the River Inagh, in Ennistymon, following a request from local Councillor Shane Talty. Tabling a notice of motion to the most recent meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, the Fianna Fáil member urged officials to address an issue at Shrohill on the Falls River Walk. “The river walk was developed with the assistance of CLÁR funding and it’s been a fantastic sanctuary for many throughout Covid,” he said. “The problem, at the moment, is that those using the walk have to emerge onto the road and there are very dangerous bends before they go back onto the walk.” Councillor Talty thanked Senior Executive Engineer (SEO), Enda McNamara, for his reply which undertook to install safety signage to warn motorists of the presence of pedestrians in the Shrohill area. Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District, Councillor Joe Garrihy also welcomed the news. “This is a popular walk,” he …

THE Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of fewer than five additional cases of Covid-19 in Clare and one additional death related to COVID-19 nationally. There has been a total of 4,667 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of midnight, Sunday 28th March, the HPSC has been notified of 539 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 235,078* confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. Of the cases notified today: 288 are men / 249 are women 73% are under 45 years of age The median age is 32 years old 262 in Dublin, 32 in Kildare, 30 in Westmeath, 26 in Galway, 21 in Meath, 21 in Offaly and the remaining 147 cases are spread across 20 other counties**. As of 8am today, 331 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 70 are in ICU. 19 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours. As of March 26th 2021, 786,569 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered …

THE breakdown of the almost €6m allocation to Clare County Council for Active Travel projects has been revealed with significant investment in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure announced. The National Transport Authority and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan announced spending totalling €72.8 million this Monday for 340 sustainable transport projects in 19 local authorities and Clare County Council has received €5,986,000 under the scheme. The biggest allocation of €950,000 comes under the heading of village enhancement, which relates to the Connecting & Co-Creating Ennis walking routes project. Among the big winners is Kilrush with separate €200,000 allocations for pedestrian and cycleway projects, while it is also included in a €444,000 grant for footpath improvements. Lahinch and Ennistymon also benefit from large allocations for cycle and public lighting infrastructure. Over €2m of the allocation has been directed to projects in the north and west of the county including Kilrush, Lisseycasey, Doolin, Spanish Point, Lahinch, Lisdoonvarna and Ennistymon, among others. Ennis has also been …

THE first Clare patients will be treated in the new Outpatients’ Department (OPD) for Ennis Hospital from today (Monday). With a total floor space of 1,300 square metres, the new OPD in Ennis has 15 clinical rooms, in addition to a phlebotomy bay, four waiting areas, offices and staff changing rooms. The new department, which has an equipping allocation of €900,000 for 2021, will allow for the relocation of services such as cardiac rehabilitation and, later this year, radiology and general x-ray. All activity in the OPD is scheduled and operates on an appointment-only basis. Situated at Westpoint Retail Park on the Kilrush Road, the new department will initially house the services currently based in Ennis Hospital, and also allow for the expansion of outpatient services into the future and a better patient experience. Greater capacity, in addition to facilities that are future-proofed with ongoing advances in telehealth, will assist with efforts to reduce waiting periods and manage waiting lists. …

A NUMBER of Clare people have fallen victim to online and phone scams during the week, including a fake car sale on Facebook. A man paid €6,000 to an English bank account for a car that had been advertised on a Facebook page. The €6,000 payment was also to cover delivery of the car. However, the car never arrived and he has since failed to make contact with the seller. Crime prevention officer Sergeant Triona Brooks also notified of two women who received a text purporting to be from Bank of Ireland notifying them that there had been financial outgoing requests made on their accounts. “I too got the same text,” said Sgt Brooks, “even though I don’t have an account with BOI. “It asks the person to follow a link which unfortunately the two ladies did and they then realised that a substantial amount of money had been taken from their accounts.” Another man who applied online for a …

THE Green Party influence in government has been blamed for a lack of funding to address safety concerns at a junction on the main arterial route into East Clare. News that the Department of Transport is prioritising Active Travel funds over grants for specific road schemes angered members of the Killaloe Municipal District this week, when they learned that a large-scale application for works at Henchey’s Cross on the R352 had been refused. The matter was raised by Councillor Pat Hayes after The Schedule of Municipal District Works for 2021 was outlined at a district meeting this week. The Killaloe Cathaoirleach welcomed the allocation of €100,000 this year and sought clarity on what last year’s figure of €150,000 had been used for. “A man rang me just the other day to ask if somebody needed to die at this junction before action is taken,” the Fianna Fáil member said. “There was another serious incident there lately and the situation needs …

SHANNON Group have sought tenders for the design of a new cargo hub. There has already been speculation that Shannon is close to agreeing a deal that would see Amazon open a facility close to the airport, and the new cargo hub could potentially facilitate that. The cargo hub which tenders are being sought for, would be on a four acre, undeveloped site next to the ASL hangar, along the approach road towards the airport. Shannon plans to develop a 29,708 square metre distribution facility, with a 3,767 square foot office facility. Earlier this year Shannon Group refused to comment on the discussions it had with Amazon, but in a statement it drew attention to its cargo plans. “Shannon Group is uniquely positioned in that it has a significant supply of landside/airside development sites suitable for distribution of goods by both air and road. Shannon Group has delivered 1 million sq ft of new and refurbished aviation, office and manufacturing …