Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 January 2021
153. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will review the resources which are available to early year service providers prior to reopening in terms of cleaning and sanitising facilities and equipment (details supplied). [2045/21]
View answerExpert guidance on the operation of Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services during the COVID-19 pandemic was published by the HPSC last year and is available at https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/guidance/childcareguidance/. The advice from the national public health experts is that no change is required to the Infection Prevention and Control guidance for settings providing ELC/SAC during the pandemic. Services have been following this guidance effectively since reopening last June and it has helped to minimise risk of spread of infection within settings.
While the Guidance provided by the HPSC recommends increased frequency and extent of cleaning regimes during the pandemic there is no requirement for a service to undertake a deep clean in advance of reopening. It is important to note that the sector already had cleaning, hygiene and infection control measures in place before COVID and the good practice in the sector has been a significant contributor to the relatively low incidences of COVID in ELC and SAC services.
In relation to cleaning rooms/settings where there was a suspected or confirmed case of Covid-19, advice set out in the HPSC Guidance should be followed.
A range of financial resources are available to assist service providers with operating costs at this time, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme and the continuation of Departmental funding schemes.
