Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
505. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if indoor summer camps such as art camps are permitted to take place; if not, if a date will be given for when they can take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39159/21]
View answerOn 29 June, Government announced the next phase of reopening the economy and society in line with Recovery and Resilience: The Path Ahead, with an emphasis on lower risk activities given the risks posed by the Delta variant.
Details of current public health measures can be found online at gov.ie. Gov.ie provides the current position with respect to summer camps: www.gov.ie/en/press-release/7894b-post-cabinet-statement-resilience-and-recovery-the-path-ahead/#summer-camps. It provides that summer camps should adhere to public health measures on organised indoor and outdoor activities as appropriate, applying at the time. Currently outdoor camps can go ahead, but indoor camps are not permitted.
The public health measures decided upon by Government are also given effect in regulations made by the Minister for Health under Section 31A of the Health Act of 1937. The current regulations are Health Act 1947 (Section 31A – Temporary Restrictions)(COVID-19)(No.2)(Amendment)(No.5) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 329 of 2021) which set limits on attendances at organised outdoor events and do not provide for any organised indoor events.
