The Last Word with Matt Cooper

As the country finally starts to reopen, many people may be feeling anxious about going places and meeting people face to face again. Social anxiety occurs when everyday interactions cause significant anxiety, fear, self-consciousness and embarrassment. This fear leads to avoidance that can disrupt your life. Helen Vaughan, psychotherapist at Maynooth Counselling, joined us with some advice on how to deal with it. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/05/14175649/LW-Social-Anxiety.mp3"][/audio]

It may not be too long before travel restrictions between the UK and Ireland will be lifted, with the government set to consider plans to open a travel bubble between the two countries. The plan would sit independently of any EU "green certificate" travel scheme, which is due to be discussed at Cabinet next week. But is it too soon to consider a travel corridor of this kind, particularly with the potential danger of new strains entering the country? We spoke to Anthony Staines, Chair of Health Systems in the School of Nursing and Human Sciences at Dublin City University, and Rob Rankin, President of the Incoming Tour Operators Association of Ireland and owner of Vagabond Tours. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/05/14173840/LW-UK-Travel.mp3"][/audio]

The HSE was forced to shut down its IT system today following a cyber attack, resulting in disruption to some health services. The incident has been described as a "significant ransomware attack", focused on accessing data stored on central servers. Hospitals have warned of disruption to routine appointments, with the Rotunda Hospital cancelling most of its appointments for the day. The COVID-19 vaccination programme has not been impacted and is continuing as planned. Professor Barry O'Sullivan from the School of Computer Science at UCC and Priscilla Lynch, clinical editor of the Medical Independent, joined us to discuss this. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/05/14172921/LW-HSE-Cyber-Attack.mp3"][/audio]

How would you feel about your employer monitoring your productivity at home via your computer? The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has warned that artificial intelligence could be used to monitor remote workers by tracking the number of mouse clicks they make per minute, as well as the amount of time they spend on social media. But would this be a step too far? Paddy Cullivan and Brianna Parkins joined us for The Week Trending to discuss this and some of the other stories making the news this week. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/05/14170339/LW-Week-Trending-14-May.mp3"][/audio]

Catch The Last Word on Business weeknights from 6pm on Today FM, with Capital Flow. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/05/13183656/LW-Tesla-Bitcoin.mp3"][/audio]