Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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1267. To ask the Minister for Health if his office receives daily or weekly reports on Covid-19 positive cases and the number of tests taken and contact tracing calls made; if so, the person or body that provides same; the format in which these are presented to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32842/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Health Protection Surveillance Centre and the HSE provides my Department with all relevant Covid-19 statistical data such as that referred to by the Deputy. These data are presented in a variety of formats as required to inform the work of the Department.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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1269. To ask the Minister for Health if there will be a county approach to lifting Covid-19 level 5 restrictions if numbers drastically improve in individual counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32860/20]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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1281. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider incentives on a county basis to open up by reducing some restrictions if communities work hard and together to drive down the virus's R number; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32914/20]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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1306. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider opening up the country on a county-regional basis if those counties are showing enough evidence that suggests the virus is being suppressed; his views on whether counties such as County Donegal that went into different levels for having high numbers could now come out of level 5 if there is a significant and notable decrease in numbers over the next few weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33044/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1269, 1281 and 1306 together.

On Tuesday 15 September the Government published ‘Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19’. This Plan outlines our medium-term strategy for COVID-19 and sets out a Framework of 5 Levels which outline the broad measures which will apply depending on the level of the virus at any given time. It is possible for different regions and counties to be at different levels, depending on the prevailing epidemiological situation. The Plan is designed to help everyone – individuals, organisations and sectors – to better understand, anticipate and prepare for the measures that might be introduced to contain transmission of the virus.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) continues to keep the epidemiological situation at a national, regional and local level under close review and it continues to consider all options available in relation to the advice it provides to Government.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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1271. To ask the Minister for Health if he will integrate additional software to the Covid-19 tracker app that shows daily incidence figures of those who have recovered from Covid-19, which would create some positivity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32869/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The COVID Tracker App has been subject to continuous improvement since it has been introduced. It is already interoperable with the Northern Ireland App and since the 19th October, it is interoperable with Germany and Italy. Ireland has been one of the first countries to participate in the EU cross-border interoperability service and further cross border interoperability will be available as other EU countries join the service. Use of contact tracing apps and cross-border interoperability allow the acceleration of contact tracing procedures by alerting close contacts earlier. Interoperability enables this on an all-island basis and across participating member states, making the app’s role in contact tracing vital to the continued fight against COVID-19 and supporting the reopening of society and business.

One of the latest COVID Tracker App improvements is the inclusion of a ‘PAUSE’ function so that healthcare workers can temporarily switch off proximity detection whilst on shift and wearing PPE. It is intended that this functionality will avoid the risk of false alerts. Furthermore, an additional improvement is the provision of infection rate data at Local Electoral District Area level.

The Health Service Executive has operational responsibility for the COVID Tracker App. I wish to thank the Deputy for her suggestion which has been passed to the Health Service Executive for consideration.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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1272. To ask the Minister for Health if non-contact training outdoors can take place under level 5 restrictions; if so, if children can travel outside the 5km limit to attend; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32870/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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On Tuesday 15 September the Government published ‘Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19’. This Plan outlines our medium-term strategy for COVID-19 and sets out a Framework of 5 Levels which outline the broad measures which will apply depending on the level of the virus at any given time. The Plan is designed to help everyone – individuals, families, organisations and sectors – to better understand, anticipate and prepare for the measures that might be introduced to contain transmission of the virus.

At Level 5 of the Plan, non-contact training can continue for school aged children, outdoors in pods of 15.

While people are asked to stay at home and exercise within 5km of home at Level 5, exemptions are permitted in a number of situations including to take school aged children to permitted training.

Further guidance is available from Sport Ireland:

Details of Level 5 measure are available here:

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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1273. To ask the Minister for Health the number of tests and cases of school-going children since 27 September 2020 to the most recent data available by 0 to four, five to 12 and 13 to 19 years of age, in tabular form.. [32871/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent)
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1275. To ask the Minister for Health the efforts he has made in respect of contact tracing in view of the fact close contacts of a person (details supplied) have waited up to five days to be contacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32892/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.