Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 September 2020
319. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht if clarity will be provided for caravan and camping ground owners and their patrons regarding the Covid-19 regulations on numbers gathering outside as it pertains to their premises. [25634/20]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Government last week published Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19, to guide Ireland’s response to saving lives and managing the pandemic over the next 6-9 months. The Plan has been designed to provide greater clarity to society and businesses on how to operate as normally as possible in the circumstances, while continuing to suppress the virus.
This plan sets out a Framework for Restrictive Measures in Response to COVID-19 – five levels of response, to be applied as appropriate depending on the incidence of the disease at a particular point in time, each with a combination of measures designed to help lower COVID-19 transmission. For each level of the Framework, there is an outline of what is permitted in various situations such as social and family gatherings; organised events; exercise and sporting activities; indoor attractions; bars, cafés and restaurants; outdoor playgrounds, play areas and parks; paid accommodation; and retail – all underpinned by expert advice and recommendations.
For its part, Fáilte Ireland has developed a series of sectoral guidelines to assist tourism businesses, including Caravan and Camping Parks, reopen and operate safely in line in line with the Return to Work Safely protocol and based on the latest health advice. These guidelines are all available through the Covid-19 Business Supports Hub on the Fáilte Ireland website (www.failteireland.ie). I understand that Fáilte Ireland is now in the process of updating its guidelines in line with Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19 , the latest Government restrictions and the health advice currently applying.
