Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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1236. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider providing the tourism and hospitality sector with key indicators and conditions that will need to be met in order for them to reopen their businesses including the percentage of the adult population that will need to be vaccinated in order for businesses to open; the level of community transmission required for reopening; if tourism and hospitality businesses will only be able to open for vaccinated customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17624/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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After taking full account of the current status of Covid-19 in the community, the public health advice, and in line with the plan set out in Covid 19 Resilience & Recovery 2021: The Path Ahead, the Government has decided to implement a limited phased easing of restrictions for the month of April, to commence on 12th April.

This cautious, slow, stepwise and phased approach, with sufficient time between phases to assess impact and to respond if the epidemiological situation changes, is to protect core priorities and reopened services, including education, childcare and non-covid health and social care services. The focus in Ireland is on regaining and maintaining control over the disease and preventing a further wave of infection later in the year, until vaccination can offer a widespread population level of protection.

Ireland’s revised plan for managing COVID-19, The Path Ahead, outlines four conditions which must be achieved before any significant easing of measures:

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.

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.

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

Emerging information on variants of concern.

This cautious approach will continue until a substantial level of vaccination has been achieved, at which point the Government will move to reopen our society more widely. While the vaccine programme continues to be scaled up, people are encouraged to stay local and to continue to choose outdoor options over indoor options where possible.

Information on the current public health measures, together with a guide for the new changes is available online here -

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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1237. To ask the Minister for Health if he plans to continue to differentiate between so called wet pubs and pubs that serve food in reopening plans for 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17625/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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After taking full account of the current status of Covid-19 in the community, the public health advice, and in line with the plan set out in , the Government has decided to implement a limited phased easing of restrictions for the month of April, to commence on 12th April.

This cautious, slow, stepwise and phased approach, with sufficient time between phases to assess impact and to respond if the epidemiological situation changes, is to protect core priorities and reopened services, including education, childcare and non-covid health and social care services. The focus in Ireland is on regaining and maintaining control over the disease and preventing a further wave of infection later in the year, until vaccination can offer a widespread population level of protection.

Ireland’s revised plan for managing COVID-19, The Path Ahead, outlines four conditions which must be achieved before any significant easing of measures:

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.

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.

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

Emerging information on variants of concern.

This cautious approach will continue until a substantial level of vaccination has been achieved, at which point the Government will move to reopen our society more widely. While the vaccine programme continues to be scaled up, people are encouraged to stay local and to continue to choose outdoor options over indoor options where possible.

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.

Information on the current public health measures, together with a guide for the new changes is available online here -