Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 April 2021
1526. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the public health advice and opinion underpinning the continued ban on religious services, the restrictions on funeral services to only ten persons and indefinite closure of retail and hospitality businesses. [18147/21]
View answerCOVID-19 spreads when individuals and groups come into close contact with one another, enabling the virus to move from one person to another. The public health measures recognise the need to reduce congregation and interactions between people to reduce opportunities for the transmission of Covid-19.
Significant progress has been made on suppressing the virus due to the huge effort of our citizens. By working together, we have saved lives and limited the impact of the disease on society in Ireland. The most recent advice from the NPHET however is that Level 5 measures, subject to a slight easing, remain necessary given disease incidence remains high, the dominance of the more transmissible B.1.1.7 variant and the fact that the R value is close to one. A detailed outline of the public health advice can be found in the letter from NPHET to the Minister for Health dated 29 March. The letter is available here: (https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/ba4aa0-letters-from-the-cmo-to-the-minister-for-health/#2021 )
The Government announced an initial easing of restrictions within Level 5 from 12 April in recognition of the significant impact that the extended period of Level 5 restrictions is having on people. The focus of this easing of measures is on enabling more outdoor activities in order to improve the health and well-being of society. Furthermore, from 26 April, maximum attendance at funerals will increase to 25.
The situation will be subject to ongoing review taking account of the evolving epidemiological situation, the impact of the reopening of priority services, and available evidence in relation to vaccine deployment, uptake and effectiveness. The NPHET and the Government will consider the position again at the end of this month and it is anticipated that a roadmap for the further easing of measures over the coming months will be agreed.
