Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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944. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide a single point of contact to families of patients in each hospital to alleviate problems that families are having in finding out information while staff are busy assisting patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11896/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy’s question is a matter for the HSE. Accordingly, I have asked them to respond directly to her.

Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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945. To ask the Minister for Health if he will publish criteria for changes in the level of pandemic related restrictions in terms of number of cases, number of deaths, the R rate, vaccination numbers and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11897/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As you will be 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 23 February, 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 – www.gov.ie/en/publication/c4876-covid-19-resilience-and-recovery-2021-the-path-ahead/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/ThePathAhead/.

The public health advice in relation to Covid-19 is kept under continuous review by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), by my Department and by the Government, taking account of the evolving epidemiological situation and available evidence in relation to vaccine deployment, uptake and effectiveness. However, public health advice is that it is too early to say how and when other restrictions should be eased given current uncertainties.

The Government will meet in advance of the 5th of April to review the level of restrictions. The focus of the assessment, based on the public health advice, will be on achieving the following before any significant easing of measures is contemplated:

1. Disease prevalence (case numbers/incidence) is brought to much lower levels that can be managed and controlled by public health and that the reproduction number (“R” number) is such that we can be confident we can continue to suppress the disease e.g. at or below 1.

2. Hospital and critical care occupancy are reduced to low levels to protect the health service and allow for the safe resumption of non-COVID-19 care.

3. Ongoing and steady progress on the vaccination programme such that the most vulnerable are protected through vaccination.

4. Emerging information on variants of concern.

The period between now and the 5 April is to allow for a fuller assessment of the status of the disease, including the impact of priority services reopening in the context of the more transmissible variant. There will also be considerably more data in relation to vaccines which will enable more detailed modelling.

Information on the current public health measures is available here - www.gov.ie/en/publication/2dc71-level-5/.