Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

From the outset of Covid-19, many employers have taken the initiative, in line with subsequent requests from the Government, to be as flexible as possible in allowing staff to take time off to look after their children who are not attending school or crèche. Employers have a general duty of care towards their workers and that care is often expressed in the form of negotiation, compromise and flexibility. Some options to be considered for workers with caring responsibilities that preclude them from working their normal hours in the normal way pre-Covid may include: offering paid compassionate leave; allowing employees to work from home; altering shifts in order that employees can co-ordinate caring between themselves and partners or another person; allowing employees to rearrange holidays; allowing employees to rearrange parental leave; allowing employees to take paid time off that can be worked back at a later time; or allowing employees to take unpaid leave until they can return to work fully or part time.

Now, with more than 90% of the adult population fully vaccinated, being a close contact of someone who has tested positive does not mean that a person has to self-isolate. Now they only have to do so if they have symptoms. Employees in such circumstances should follow the up-to-date public health advice and consult their employer. As the Deputy will be aware, the public health response to Covid-19 is constantly monitored, including in regard to approaches to testing, contact tracing, outbreak management, surveillance and sequencing. It is also under review in the context of planning for an overall transition in our approach to the management of Covid-19 and treating it as an endemic illness. The review will inform the development of a future public health response strategy and approach for the coming months, including the question of whether children should have to stay home from school in these circumstances.

As for social welfare payments, an enhanced illness benefit payment for Covid-19 was introduced as a short-term public health measure last year. It is payable for two weeks where a person is self-isolating as a probable source of infection and for up to ten weeks where a person has been diagnosed with Covid-19. Certification by a registered medical professional is required to support any claim for the special Covid-19 illness payment.

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