Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 June 2021
519. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health if consideration has been given to allowing park run events in counties Roscommon and Longford to return; his plans to allow park runs and other sporting events to return with social distancing guidelines in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25855/21]
View answerThere has been considerable progress in reducing infection levels since the peak of the wave of infection in late 2020/early 2021 because of the widespread adherence by the public to the public health measures in place, and this progress has been sustained during recent phases of reopening in April and May. While there is still a high level of infection nationally, the situation is considered reasonably stable and significant progress is being made in relation to the roll-out of our vaccination programme.
On 28 May, Government decided to move ahead with the process of lifting restrictions further. A range of measures were eased in June, including in relation to sporting events, and it has signaled a further easing of measures in July and August subject to the epidemiological situation at the time.
In relation to Parkrun events, I understand that during the Covid-19 pandemic, Parkrun have been supporting participants to take part in individual exercise, such as (not)parkrun, which promoted individual 5k runs, in line with public health guidelines. Furthermore, there has been regular contact with Parkrun organisers throughout the pandemic. I understand that representatives of Parkrun recently met with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to discuss the resumption of their events when regulations permit. As part of these discussions, Parkrun submitted a COVID-19 Framework which has been reviewed by the Department's Return to Sport Expert Group and feedback has been provided to Parkrun via Sport Ireland. Both Sport Ireland and the Return to Sport Expert Group are supportive of the return of Parkrun and will continue to provide guidance and support to Parkrun as they further progress with their plans to resume.
While there has been scope to continue with the easing of public health measures, our approach must continue to be cautious, gradual and on a phased basis, with sufficient time between any easing of measures to assess the impact. This will be critical to ensure that our progress in controlling the virus is maintained.
Significant progress has been made on suppressing the virus over recent months due to the huge effort of people across the country. By working together, we have saved lives and limited the impact of the disease on society in Ireland. To protect the gains of recent months we must continue to practice basic preventative behaviours and to follow public health guidelines.
