Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2020
469. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Health the criteria for selling food that a public house will have to adhere to in order to open on 29 June 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11214/20]
View answerThe Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business, published on 1 May 2020, sets out an indicative path to the easing of COVID 19 restrictions and other actions in order to facilitate the reopening of Ireland’s society and economy in a phased manner. Phase 1 was introduced on 18 May 2020 and the Government confirmed the move to Phase 2 of Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business from Monday, 8 June 2020. Information and advice about the restrictions that have been eased as part of Phase 2 and the measures that are now in place are available on the Government website at http://www.gov.ie/phase2.
The Roadmap specifies that decisions in relation to which actions will be taken and which public health measures might be lifted will be made in accordance with the Framework for Future Decision-Making which is as follows:
1. Before each Government consideration of the easing of restrictions, the Department of Health will provide a report to the Government regarding the following on/off trigger criteria:
a. The latest data regarding the progression of the disease,
b. The capacity and resilience of the health service in terms of hospital and ICU occupancy,
c. The capacity of the programme of sampling, testing and contact tracing,
d. The ability to shield and care for at risk groups,
e. An assessment of the risk of secondary morbidity and mortality as a consequence of the restrictions.
2. It will also provide risk-based public health advice on what measures could be modified in the next period.
3. The Government would then consider what restrictions could be lifted, having regard to the advice of the Department of Health as well as other social and economic considerations, e.g. the potential for increased employment, relative benefits for citizens and businesses, improving national morale and wellbeing etc.
4. It is acknowledged that there is also an ongoing possibility that restrictions could be re-imposed and this process will be carried out on an ongoing basis once every 3 weeks.
As is clear from the framework described above, it is the Government rather than the Minister or Department of Health that will decide on any modifications to the current public health measures in place and those decisions will be informed by the status of the on/off trigger criteria and the public health advice received at the time that a decision is being made. The decisions of the Government are published and the guidance in operation at a point in time are available on the Government website at http://www.gov.ie.
The Deputy may wish to note that all pubs, including those that serve food other than drinks, can only re-open when it is permitted to do so. All pubs, including those that serve food other than drinks, are required to be registered with the Health Service Executive in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 852/2004. All food businesses must also have a food safety management system in place based on the principles of Hazard (Analysis & Critical Control Point (HACCP) to control the risks in their food business. Further information on these and other businesses food safety management systems has been published by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and is available at https://www.fsai.ie/faq/coronavirus.html. Fáilte Ireland has also published guidance for the hospitality sector which is available at https://covid19.failteireland.ie/industry-updates/guidelines-for-re-opening-published/
The National Public Health Emergency Team has also requested the Health Protection Surveillance Centre to develop guidance on the application of existing social distancing requirements in specific, defined and controlled environments in the hospitality industry during periods of low incidence of the disease. This guidance will then be considered by the National Public Health Emergency Team on completion.
In addition, on 9 May the “Return to Work Safely Protocol - COVID-19 Specific National Protocol for Employers and Workers” was published. It provides clear guidance to employers and to workers on the measures that must be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. The Protocol was developed through the cooperation of the Health and Safety Authority, the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, the HSE and my Department. It is designed to be used by all workplaces to adapt their procedures and practices to provide protection against the threat of COVID-19.
The Government also agreed to bring forward actions in the remaining phases of the Roadmap and plan for four phases rather than the five originally indicated. Work is underway to consider how best to achieve this aim and more information will be made available in the coming weeks.
