Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020
1287. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if he will consider extending the 5 km travel limit for persons who live in rural areas in view of the unreasonable restrictions this will place on persons who reside in isolated or low-population density areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32933/20]
View answerOn Tuesday 15 September the Government published ‘Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19’. This Plan outlines our medium-term strategy for COVID-19 and sets out a Framework of 5 Levels which outline the broad measures which will apply depending on the level of the virus at any given time. The Plan is designed to help everyone – individuals, organisations and sectors – to better understand, anticipate and prepare for the measures that might be introduced to contain transmission of the virus.
Restrictions on domestic travel apply at Levels 3, 4 and 5 of the Plan. At Level 5 of the Plan, people are asked to stay at home and to exercise within 5km of home. It is appreciated that these measures are difficult, but they have been put in place to protect public health.
A number of exemptions are provided, including for travel to and from work, where work involves providing an essential service; to attend education; to attend medical appointments and collect medicines and other health products; to travel to attend disability day services; to travel to attend a court; for food shopping; to take school aged children to permitted training; for vital family reasons, such as providing care to children, elderly or vulnerable people; for farming purposes; to attend a wedding or funeral and to visit a grave. In addition, those living alone or with a dependent adult may form a support bubble with one other household. This household can be outside the 5km limit. Further details are available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/3516d-support-bubbles.
The public health advice relating to Covid-19 is kept under continuing review by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and it provides advice to Government in line with the current epidemiological position.
Details of Level 5 measure are available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2dc71-level-5/.
Current regulations and other Statutory Instruments related to the Covid-19 pandemic are available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/1f150-view-statutory-instruments-related-to-the-covid-19-pandemic/.
