Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 June 2020
608. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the advice she has received from NPHET in relation to social distancing in centre-based settings; if NPHET has suggested that reduced capacity will be a requirement for services to reopen; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9901/20]
View answerOn Friday 1 May, the Government released its Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, which sets out Ireland's plan for lifting COVID-19 restrictions . The re-opening of Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare (ELC and SAC) services will be guided by this framework and will be underpinned by the Government's Return to Work Safely Protocol, expert advice, available evidence and consultation with ELC and SAC stakeholder representatives and providers themselves.
Expert guidance on the safe reopening of childcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic, approved by the Expert Advisory Group of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), was published by the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) on Friday, 29 May. The guidance recommends use of a “play pod” model which restricts interactions between closed groups of children and adults as an alternative to social distancing, on the basis that social distancing is not possible between young children. Based on advice provided by the HPSC I do not propose to change Regulations in relation to either the adult-child ratios or the floor-space requirements for ELC or SAC services as such changes are unnecessary where "play pods" are in use.
Services are now being asked to apply the guidance to their setting and determine what capacity they may offer. It is expected that a significant amount of capacity will be available in individual services that reopen in the summer, subject to, for example, their space, room layout and staffing availability. Whilst there are 4,500 Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare services in the country, fewer than 2,000 of these normally remain open in July and August.
