Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 November 2020
331. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the data used regarding the decision to close golf courses under level 5 restrictions; the impact of golfing on the R number; the potential reduction in the R number through the application of golf closures; the number of Covid-19 cases linked to golfing; the location of those golf courses by county; and the general data which informed the decision to close down golf courses [34498/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFirstly, I would like to say that I fully understand how important exercise and sporting activities, such as golf, are for people's physical and mental health, particularly in the winter months.
The Government's medium-term strategy Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19 , sets out Ireland's approach to managing and living with COVID-19 in a range of areas over the next 6 - 9 months.
The Plan sets out five levels of response, each with a number of measures designed to help us all lower COVID-19 transmission and setting out what is permitted at that moment in time. It aims to allow society and businesses to be able to operate as normally as possible, while continuing to suppress the virus. Each level outlines what is permitted for social or family gatherings, work and public transport, bars, hotels and restaurants, exercise activities and religious services.
The Plan 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 sports and exercise are central to our well-being and are also the world of work for our many in 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.
In response to the rapidly deteriorating epidemiological situation across the country, Ireland has moved to level 5 of Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19 .
At level 5 of the Plan, people are asked to stay at home, with certain exceptions, and must exercise within 5km of home. Exercise and sporting amenities such as golf courses have been closed in order to reduce the person-to-person contacts which allow the virus to spread. No matches or other sporting events may be held with the exception of professional elite sports and senior inter-county gaelic games and horse and greyhound racing, which may continue behind closed doors. All other training activities should be individual only. It is possible to meet with 1 other household in an outdoor setting which is not a home or garden, such as a park, including for the purpose of exercise.
The Government recognises that there are many aspects of normal life that have been altered by the emergence of COVID-19, and the response that has been required. It also recognises that these changes are difficult for many people. However, it is the case at present that many of the things which we have previously taken for granted -such as playing golf, but also eating out, attending church, travelling abroad freely - are no longer accessible in the same way due to the risks that they pose and the ease with which this virus spreads in particular conditions.
Regarding the impact of the closure of exercise and sporting amenities 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/
I would also draw your attention to the CSO website for access to a range of data relating to Covid-19 including data on confirmed COVID-19 cases linked to sporting activity/fitness outbreaks. This is available on the CSO Covid-19 Information Hub at www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-covid19/covid-19informationhub/ and, in particular, at www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/br/b-cdc/covid-19deathsandcasesseries14/
A range of data on the epidemiology of Covid-19 in Ireland, including data on county incidence levels and trends in transmission, is also published in the daily report by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) available at: www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/casesinireland/epidemiologyofcovid-19inireland, while a daily report on the last 14 days in cases available at: www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/casesinireland/epidemiologyofcovid-19inireland.
The Government's guidelines for exercise and sporting events at all levels of the Plan are available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/resilience-recovery-2020-2021-plan-for-living-with-covid-19/. Level 5 guidance from Sport Ireland is available at: https://www.sportireland.ie/news/return-to-sport-expert-group-issues-guidance-to-sports-sector
