Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 December 2020
400. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify the Covid-19 guidelines for office workers that can continue to work from home but are required by their employers to return to the office setting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42546/20]
View answerResilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19 which was published by the Government, sets out Ireland's approach to managing and living with COVID-19 in a range of areas over the next 6 - 9 months.
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, families, organisations and sectors – to better understand, anticipate and prepare for the measures that might be introduced to contain transmission of Covid-19.
As you will be aware Ireland is now at level 3 of the Plan. At level 3 the public health advice is to work from home wherever possible.
The Work Safely Protocol which can be viewed at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/bb7fd-work-safely-protocol/ was revised recently, and is the result of a collaborative effort, led by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and involving primarily the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), with significant input by public health from the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE).
This Protocol advises that office work should continue to be carried out at home wherever practicable. The Protocol sets out in very clear terms for employers and employees, in all business sectors, the steps that they must take on an ongoing basis to mitigate against the transmission of COVID-19 in the workplace. As the advice issued by Government and NPHET continues to evolve, this Work Safely Protocol and the measures employers and workers need to address will also evolve.
Further information on the public health measures currently in place, including information in relation to Work under the different Levels, is available at https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/resilience-recovery-2020-2021-plan-for-living-with-covid-19
