Dr Niamh Lynch: Covid-19 stress taking a toll on our children

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — Christmas ads fill the schedules, competing for our smiles and tears with their promises of cosy fireside evenings and warm family gatherings.  But this year's offerings highlight the anxiety we all feel, with our children now showing physical symptoms of their worry, writes Dr Niamh Lynch 

The children entered schools that had changed beyond recognition. Schools bedecked with signs about Covid-19 and social distancing. Schools where the yard was no longer a place to run, and chase, and whisper in your friend’s ear, but a strictly supervised arena with two meters between you and your pals at all times. 

All of Ireland seems to be enraptured by the Supervalu Christmas ad. A little boy hangs a Santa bauble on the Christmas tree as the radio in the background plays a refrain with which we are all familiar. 

"Covid-19 continues to cause restrictions across Ireland".