Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 November 2020
171. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position regarding the Christmas tree industry and the current Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35189/20]
View answerUnder Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19, only essential retail outlets will remain open.
The Regulations clearly set out the temporary restrictions and lists the essential services and essential retail outlets under Level 5.
Level 5 does not restrict people from purchasing any product. It does however, restrict people from physically going into non-essential stores. This is to stop people travelling out of their homes unnecessarily and so to limit the spread of the virus.
Mixed retailers have been asked to separate their stock and only sell the items that are essential. While Christmas trees can not be purchased physically in stores, customers can continue to purchase them via online or phone ordering and collection and delivery.
The measures are intended to encourage all of us to stay at home and shop local and to ensure fairness to those non-essential retailers who have had to close. I encourage people not to try to find ways around the regulations but to find ways to do the right thing.
The Government has already helped thousands of businesses, through the Trading Online Voucher Scheme, with 9,919 companies supported in 2020 and through our Online Retail Scheme, with 185 additional retailers supported this year.
I would like to thank retailers and their customers for their efforts at this difficult time. By each of us following the spirit of these new rules and working together we can hopefully return to a lower level of the Living with Covid-19 framework.
