Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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240. To ask the Minister for Health the plans being put in place to prepare to allow a greater number of attendees at weddings by summer 2021 at the different levels of public health restrictions that may be in place at the time; and the advice for couples currently planning a summer wedding. [10684/21]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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245. To ask the Minister for Health the time period by which weddings with a minimum of 25 persons in attendance will be allowed take place under the Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19. [10600/21]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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284. To ask the Minister for Health if he expects the public health situation and Government preparations to cater for differing levels of restrictions to allow for an increase in the number of attendees at gatherings such as weddings by summer 2021. [10685/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 240, 245 and 284 together.

As the Deputy is aware, the public health restrictions at level 5 of the Government's Framework Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19 will remain in place until 5th April 2021, when a further review will be conducted. The Framework continues to provide an appropriate mechanism to guide decision-making, and it will continue to be supplemented by more detailed sectoral guidance in relation to measures that apply at each level of the Framework.

On 23February, 2021, the Government published COVID-19 Resilience & Recovery 2021: The Path Ahead which sets out how in-school education and childcare services will be reinstated in a phased manner from 1 March, with staggered return throughout March to be concluded after the Easter break on 12 April. Information on the revised plan is available here –

At Level 5, 6 guests may attend the wedding and wedding ceremony irrespective of venue. This does not include the persons getting married or persons attending in a professional capacity. The various limits at all levels in the Government's Plan are all designed to reduce the number of households mixing with each other and cut down the virus’s chances of spreading into more homes. It seeks to balance the risks of different types of gatherings against the desire to allow normal activities to proceed in so far as possible.

As I'm sure the Deputy 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 certain settings, such as weddings, higher noise levels due to music, can force people into close proximity, requiring them to raise their voices or shout to communicate thus increasing the risk of spreading the virus to others. Under the current public health measures in place for Covid-19 live music is not permitted at weddings.

It is not possible to say what public health measures will be in place in the future. The public health advice relating to Covid-19 is kept under continuing review by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), by my Department and by the Government. The measures in place and the public health advice have been adapted to the changing circumstances and this will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future.

Details of the public health measures currently in place for weddings can be found at:-

You may also wish to note that Fáilte Ireland has provided guidelines for the hospitality industry which includes guidance on weddings and is available at: -

Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party)
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241. To ask the Minister for Health if passengers will need to stay in mandatory hotel quarantine if they are returning home permanently having worked in a country listed for mandatory hotel quarantine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10732/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Mandatory home quarantine requirements are currently provided for under SI No. 44/2021. Exemptions from these requirements are in place for categories of travellers including international transport workers, members of An Garda Síochána or the Defence Forces travelling who have travelled in the course of their duties and persons who are travelling for unavoidable and time-sensitive medical reasons. It is intended that the Health (Amendment) Bill 2021 will give effect to the Government Decision on mandatory quarantine at designated facilities for persons who have travelled from specified higher risk countries.

The operationalisation of designated quarantine facilities, including the finalisation of primary legislation to underpin these facilities and the procurement of hotels and ancillary services, is being advanced on a cross-departmental basis as a matter of priority.