Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 June 2020
230. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if each direct provision centre has conducted a risk assessment regarding Covid-19; if each centre has sufficient self-isolation rooms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10068/20]
View answerThe International Protection Accommodation Services Unit (IPAS) of my Department is working very closely with the HSE and centre management centre to protect the health and welfare of our residents and centre staff as well as that of the wider community at this time. We have been assured by both the HSE and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer that our approach is appropriate.
All accommodation centres are carefully following the guidelines for our centres that have been published by the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre, which can be found on its website www.hpsc.ie. That guidance exists precisely because it is recognised that congregated settings such as Direct Provision centres present specific challenges in this pandemic.
IPAS has a dedicated team in place to work with accommodation centre managers so that they can manage any situation that may arise and the team are in daily contact with centre managers.
At the outset of the pandemic, a contingency plan was prepared for each Centre, including provision of some onsite self-isolation at each centre, a plan for a response to an outbreak, enhanced cleaning regime required, etc. Building on these contingency plans, a Risk Assessment Framework for our centres has been developed with the HSE. This allows all centres to be assessed for risk and any additional supports or interventions required can then be appropriately targeted. This is important for the medium to longer term and takes account of the range of accommodation types across the Direct Provision system, from own-door accommodation to communal settings. A similar framework is applied by the Mental Health Commission for its residential settings. Assessments for all centres have been completed and follow-up work on the findings is underway.
The established procedure across all centres where a person is confirmed as having the virus, is that, where advised by Public Health, they are moved to a dedicated offsite self-isolation facility. Supports are available for the duration of their period of isolation until such time as the HSE considers that they can safely return to their centre. My Department has opened four dedicated self-isolation facilities for residents in Dublin, Cork and Limerick, and Dundalk, with a total capacity of 299 rooms. Residents in these facilities have their own bedroom and their own bathroom.
Since the start of the year over 1,550 permanent and temporary Direct Provision bed spaces have been procured, including the dedicated new centres opened in Rosslare Harbour, Cahersiveen and Tullamore.
We have relocated over 600 residents to support social and physical distancing in centres and cocooning measures for the most vulnerable. By doing this, we have ensured that no more than three single people are sharing a room in any of our centres. We intend to continue this policy when the crisis is over.
We have cocooned all residents aged 65 or older and those advised to my Department by the HSE as requiring cocooning on medical grounds.
In addition to the daily calls to centres, we are communicating directly with centre managers and residents via regular newsletters, which can also be found on our website www.accommodationcentres.ie. The newsletters have provided practical information on implementing social and physical distancing at this time and promoted shared learning and best practice across our network of centres. Residents have also been made aware of the need for good hand hygiene and coughing/sneezing etiquette. Information and posters have been distributed to all centres and translations of public health information have also been provided.
In partnership with the HSE and Safetynet, my Department has put in place a national clinical telephone service to provide public health advice to support centre staff. It is also being used to advise, support and work with locations where vulnerable groups are present relating to the implementation of COVID-19 guidelines and measures.
During this time, centre managers have also been advised to increase the standard and frequency of cleaning throughout the centres, paying particular attention to communal areas. A regular supply of hand sanitiser for centres is in place and this is distributed to centres as required. Other PPE is distributed, as needed, and in line with the HPSC guidelines for its appropriate use in residential settings.
