Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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256. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which tourists who arrive here are allowed to travel outside their county of arrival in view of level 3 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30425/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19was published by the Government on 15 September, 2020. This Plan provides a framework setting out Ireland's approach to managing and living with COVID-19 in a range of areas over the next 6 - 9 months.

The framework 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 is framed to account for periods during which there is a low incidence of the disease, with isolated clusters and low community transmission, through to situations where there is a high or rapidly increasing incidence, widespread community transmission and the pandemic is escalating rapidly in Ireland and globally. It recognises the need for society and business to be allowed to continue as normally as possible and is designed so that either national or county level restrictions can be applied.

Ireland has moved from a short-term emergency response to a medium-term approach to managing risk and repairing the damage that COVID-19 has inflicted on society. All counties in Ireland are currently at Level 3 of the Plan for Living with COVID-19 until midnight Tuesday 27th October.

At Level 3 of the plan, you must not leave your county of residence unless for work, education, medical and other essential purposes.

I would like to draw the Deputy's attention to the Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19) (NO. 6) Regulations, 2020 (S.I. No. 413 of 2020). These Regulations provide that "county of residence" means the county in which the person's place of residence is situated. For a person who is not ordinarily resident in the State, "place of residence" means the premises in the State, if any, at which he or she is currently residing, whether on a permanent or temporary basis.

Further information on the public health measures currently in place at Level 3 can be found at .