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Covid-19 Pandemic

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020

Tuesday, 3 November 2020

Ceisteanna (1186, 1210, 1211, 1372)

Mark Ward

Ceist:

1186. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the reason and evidence used in the decision to close barbers and hairdressers under level 5 restrictions. [32553/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Louise O'Reilly

Ceist:

1210. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the data behind the decision to close gyms under level 5 restrictions; the impact of gyms on the R number; the potential reduction in the R number through the application of gym closures; the number of Covid-19 cases linked to gyms; the location of the gyms by county; and the general data which informed the decision to close down gyms. [32667/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Louise O'Reilly

Ceist:

1211. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the data behind the decision to close close-contact personnel services such as hairdressing, barbers, beauty therapy and so on under level 5 restrictions; the impact of close-contact personnel services on the R number; the potential reduction in the R number through the application of close-contact personnel services closures; the number of Covid-19 cases linked to close-contact personnel services; the location those close-contact personnel services by county; and the general data which informed the decision to close down close-contact personnel services. [32668/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Peadar Tóibín

Ceist:

1372. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the public health evidence in relation to the closure of restaurants, cafés and pubs for indoor business (details supplied). [29968/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1186, 1210, 1211 and 1372 together.

Firstly, I would like to assure you that the Government is committed to ensuring a balanced and proportionate response to COVID-19 by finding ways to implement public health measures in response to the pandemic in a way that is fair, reasonable and proportionate.

As you will be aware, in response to the rapidly deteriorating epidemiological situation across the country, Ireland has moved to level 5 of the Government’s medium-term strategy for dealing with COVID-19, Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19

This 5 level Framework reflects a careful consideration of the impact of the introduction of restrictions on employment and livelihoods, keeping as many businesses open as possible at different stages, while acknowledging that some businesses and services are critical. It acknowledges that cafés, restaurants and pubs and close-contact personal services, are the world of work for so many in our communities.

Any measures introduced at any level of the Plan are aimed at limiting the spread and damage of COVID-19, and are necessary to protect our key priorities of supporting and maintaining health and social care services, keeping education and childcare services open and protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities.

As I'm sure you can appreciate, COVID-19 spreads when individuals and groups come into close contact with one another, enabling the virus to move from one person to another. COVID-19 is infectious in a person with no symptoms, or for the period of time before they develop symptoms. The number of people allowed to gather in different scenarios in the Government's Framework are based on a review of international practice and the judgment of public health experts. It seeks to balance the risks of different types of gatherings against the desire to allow normal activities to proceed in so far as possible.

At level 5 of the Plan, unfortunately, this means closing many businesses and amenities to reduce the person-to-person contacts which allow the virus to spread.

Regarding the impact of the closure of these businesses on the overall R number, I have been advised by the Irish Epidemiology Modelling Advisory Group (IEMAG), that it is not feasible to provide reliable estimates of the impact of very specific interventions. In order to do this, a series of assumptions would need to be made in relation to the number of close contacts that occur in a setting, the number of close contacts that occur in the population as a whole, the relative risk that such close contacts lead to infection, and the effect of mitigating measures such as the use of PPE. Small changes in these assumptions lead to very different outcomes in terms of impact upon the R number.

For your information, technical notes on the approaches used to estimate effective reproduction number (Re) or time-dependent reproduction number (Rt) are published on the Department of Health website https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/dc5711-irish-epidemiology-modelling-advisory-group-to-nphet-technical-notes/

Further information on all levels of Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19 is available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/resilience-recovery-2020-2021-plan-for-living-with-covid-19/.

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