February
Outbreak in care home
A nursing home on the outskirts of Cork city is hit with a significant outbreak of Covid-19.
It is the first such outbreak experienced by staff and residents at CareChoice in Ballynoe and it comes following a number of other outbreaks in nursing homes across Cork.
Tragically, the breakout claims the lives of a number of residents at the home and forces some staff to self-isolate after contracting the virus.
Burma protests come to Cork
A protest against a military coup in Burma takes place on St Patrick’s Street joining Burmese protests all over the world.
The protest is held by Myo Thet Tun in response to a military coup staged earlier in the month which saw Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically-elected government overthrown in Burma.
After the Cork protest, a woman is badly injured at a protest in the capital Nay Pyi Taw where reports suggest police used water cannons, rubber bullets and live rounds to disperse the crowd.
A chance wasted
A UCC professor insists that Ireland could open most of its society by April if the Taoiseach accepts a zero Covid strategy immediately.
That’s according to Independent Scientific Advocacy Group (ISAG) spokesperson Patricia Kearney who tells the Cork Independent Ireland is one of the few island states in the world that hasn’t capitalised on its physical advantages.
She says Ireland should follow the example of other island nations like Australia and New Zealand.
GAA legend retires
Cork camogie legend Gemma O’Connor confirms her retirement from the intercounty game.
A winner of nine All-Ireland titles with Cork, Gemma played with the senior team for 18 seasons, making her debut in 2002.
The defender, who captained the side in 2007, was recognised 11 times as an All-Star, winning six awards in a row from 2004-2009.
She also won many league and Munster medals, as well as a minor All-Ireland medal.
Leeside’s tea pride
A Leeside tea lover takes to social media to ask a very “serious, honest and important” question. “How many cups of tea do people drink a day in Cork?”
The post on Cork Reddit page 'r/cork' receives many comments from Corkonians eager to share their daily lockdown tea drinking statistics.
The original poster stirs up further debate by asking what tea brand people liked the most, naming Cork brand Barry’s Tea as their own personal favourite.
One commentor says they drink upwards of six cups of tea a day, confessing however that they are often guilty of getting distracted and “letting half cups go cold”.
Overall, between five and ten cups a day seems to be the norm on Leeside, with Barry’s the clear favourite.
Ireland battles for scarce PPE
Ireland surpasses €1.1bn in spending on personal protective equipment (PPE) for the HSE.
Speaking at a virtual event organised by UCC’s Biomedical Science Society, HSE CEO Paul Reid says the normal yearly spend for PPE is around €15m and that nobody could have predicted the scale of what was to come.
Mr Reid describes a “world-wide” battle for PPE with countries bidding outrageous amounts of money in order to secure the scarce equipment, right down to the very last moment.