Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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335. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if consideration has been given to allowing indoor training for small pods once level 5 restrictions are lifted for pastimes such as martial arts and Irish dancing that are unable to operate safely outside. [36460/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The Framework for Restrictive Measures is a risk management strategy designed to allow individuals, families, businesses and services better understand, anticipate and prepare for the measures Government might introduce to stop escalation of the transmission of the disease. The Government’s strategy, in line with the public health advice, is disease suppression. COVID-19 spreads when individuals and groups come into close contact with one another, enabling the virus to move from one person to another. The risk of infection spread is greater in certain environments than others e.g. uncontrolled environments, crowded and noisy places, indoor environments, poorly ventilated spaces.

Given the current epidemiological situation with high incidence of disease, widespread community transmission, and high numbers of both hospitalisations and deaths, it has been necessary to put in place very significant restrictions to arrest the current trajectory of the disease and break transmission chains. This means asking people to stay at home and eliminating as much activity and contacts as is possible to ensure that opportunities for the virus to transmit are minimised, while allowing essential activities to continue. Unfortunately, this means minimising discretionary activities including indoor sports training and exercise.

Currently, in Level 5 sporting competition is not permitted except for defined exempted athletes and teams, as set out in the public health regulations. In addition to this, non-contact outdoor sports training, including athletics, is permitted for school aged children in pods of up to 15. It is not currently permitted to open gyms, swimming pools or leisure centres.

I recognise that there is great disappointment among those who wish to engage in sport indoors around the current restrictions. While I am pleased to note that COVID-19 data indicates improvements across a range of indicators, which gives us hope that the epidemiological situation is once again coming under control, it is too early at this point to consider the easing of restrictions.