Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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2868. To ask the Minister for Health if after the enactment of the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2021, indoor hospitality will be required to place a time limit of 105 minutes on persons dining indoors in restaurants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39446/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, on 29 June, Government announced the next phase of reopening the economy and society in line with Recovery and Resilience: The Path Ahead.

While significant progress is being made in relation to the roll-out of our vaccination programme and the position had been broadly stable over the earlier part of June, the prevalence of the more transmissible Delta variant is rapidly increasing in Ireland and this poses a significant risk, in particular to those who are not yet fully vaccinated. For this reason, a number of higher risk indoor activities will not recommence as planned on 5 July, pending the implementation of a system to verify vaccination or immunity status.

As of 26 July, indoor dining has reopened for fully vaccinated individuals and those who are considered immune as a result of recovering from a covid-19 infection in the previous six months.

I can confirm to the Deputy that following public health advice, the time limit for sitting at tables has been removed. There is now no limit to the amount of time consumers can sit at tables. Businesses may decide to operate this approach. Information on indoor dining can be found online at www.gov.ie/en/publication/41f70-reopening-hospitality/.

Significant and sustained progress has been made on suppressing the virus over recent months due to the huge effort of people across the country. By working together, we have saved lives and limited the impact of the disease on society in Ireland. To protect the gains of recent months we must continue to practice basic preventative behaviours and to follow public health guidelines.