As the Deputy is aware, the Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19 is a cross-government approach to managing and living with the pandemic over the next 6 – 9 months. The Government decided that, from midnight on Wednesday 21st October, the entire country would be placed on Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID with a small number of exceptions.
This action was based on current public health advice, the deteriorating situation with the disease across the country and the Government’s objectives to support families by keeping schools and childcare facilities open, maintaining non-COVID health services and protecting the vulnerable.
The Regulations which underpin Level 5 restrictions clearly set out what is essential retail and essential services. Guidelines on what comprises essential retail is set out here https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2dc71-level-5/.
Where businesses remain open to the public and are not so permitted under the regulations, those businesses are in breach of the regulations.
I am working with my colleagues across Government to assist businesses impacted by COVID-19. My colleague Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys T.D. would be best placed to provide more specific information in relation to access to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.