Briefing on the government's response to COVID-19 - Wednesday 19 August 2020

Delivered by Elizabeth Canavan, Assistant Secretary General, Department of the Taoiseach

Good afternoon everyone,

As you will be aware, yesterday, on foot of advice from NPHET, Government decided to introduce some new measures designed to help stop the further spread of COVID-19 into our communities. Most of my briefings over the last number of months have focussed on the restrictions that we have been lifting, and on the various stages of our reopening roadmap. So it is disappointing to be here talking to you again about having to introduce some measures that will limit, to some degree, how we interact with each other and how we go about our daily lives. I know that we all share that disappointment, however I want to explain why the decision was taken.

We have all seen the rise in cases over recent times, from a low of 61 cases in one particular week to 533 cases last week, the 14 day cumulative cases per 100,000 of population is now at 26. Thankfully, so far, the increase in cases has not been matched by a significantly increased demand in our hospitals or an increase in the numbers dying from the disease.

However, if we allow the continued rise in cases to go unchecked and to become widespread within our communities, we risk seeing increased danger to the most vulnerable in the community.

We also risk seeing that increased demand on our hospitals and on those frontline health care workers who have done so much to protect us and our loved ones while all the time risking their own health.

We risk undoing the progress we have made towards reopening our schools and resuming health care. We therefore risk having to introduce even more restrictive measures.

That is why Government have decided to act now, to act before that happens, to protect the most vulnerable in our communities and to ensure we can safely reopen our schools next week. It is hard to overstate the importance of school to the development of and to the physical and emotional wellbeing of our children and young people. Reopening our schools is an absolute priority of NPHET and the government, these measures are being introduced to protect that reopening.

The measures are being put in place across the country until 13 September in an effort to stop the spread of the virus by limiting congregation and social interaction among households. This is because these are the places, and settings where we have seen clusters emerge. We know about the workplace clusters, however these other places are also now seeing clusters, and they have been occurring all over the country – there have now been new cases in every county. These measures are being introduced, not to punish any particular group or to target any particular sector but to balance the need to remain as open as we can in society and in business with ensuring this increase in cases does not spread in an uncontrolled way in the community.

The measures are not about penalising groups who have done great work in organising themselves safely, they are aimed at reducing disorganised gatherings. The measures are aimed at activities that can lead to impromptu, and I should say entirely normal, gatherings that are not organised and where distancing cannot be practised – that is why for example we are limiting the numbers congregating in houses and gardens and in other settings both inside and out. It is why we are saying that sporting fixtures should temporarily take place behind closed doors – while these organisations have done great work in organising their events, it is the disorganised gatherings that they can unwittingly provide a focal point for, that the measures will reduce. This is not about stopping these organised activities, this is about introducing temporary restrictions now that will ensure that we don’t have to stop these activities altogether.

Alongside the measures which I will go through, there will be an enhanced level of enforcement to ensure that workplaces, venues and organisers of activities adhere to the guidelines.

We know the areas we need to intensify our efforts again to face the current challenge. These are being further ramped up and enhanced to support compliance and where disease occurs to clamp down rapidly and stop it in its tracks, within our communities.

So I want to outline the measures agreed last night:

Indoor and Outdoor Gatherings

Visitors to your home or garden should be limited to not more than 6 from not more than 3 households.

Cultural and Social Activities

Restaurants and Cafes (including pubs that serve food and hotel restaurants):

Should close by 11.30pm

All customer facing staff to wear face coverings

All customers to wear face coverings until seated and again on departure

Requirement to keep contact details to support contact tracing

All customers to be seated at a table, with no seating allowed at the bar and table service only

Maximum of 6 seated at a table

No formal or informal events or parties should be organised in these premises

All tables must have hand sanitiser

Sports

Sporting events and matches can continue to take place but behind closed doors with:

Strict avoidance of gatherings, including social gatherings, before or after events

Strict adherence to 2 metre physical distancing before and after events, during breaks in play, on the side lines and avoidance of team huddles

Gyms/leisure centres/swimming pools/exercise and dance studios will remain open with strict distancing and other appropriate protective measures in place

Limits of 6 apply to exercise and dance classes with appropriate physical distancing

Limits of 15 apply to groups outside including training sessions (with exception of elite/professional sports and horseracing). There should be no mixing between groups

Workplaces

Unless it is absolutely essential for an employee to attend in person, they should work from home.

Travel and transport

People should avoid using public transport where possible

Arrangements for school transport will proceed as planned for reopening. These arrangements are different to general public transport. The plans in place already have additional mitigations such as assigned seats, seating managed so that children of the same household sit together or children from the same class sit together

However, the Minster for Education and Skills and the Minister for Health and other relevant Ministers are currently reviewing measures and any additional resources, to ensure the safe operation of school transport.

Over 70s and medically vulnerable

People over 70 and the medically vulnerable have made incredible sacrifices over the last number of months and have been extremely disciplined about following the guidance.

We also know everyone’s situation is different and people are the best judges as to what they need to do.

People in this group can still meet up with friends and get outside for exercise. That’s as important as it is for anyone.

However, the advice is to reduce risk you need to reduce your contacts. That’s means for example, avoiding public transport, shopping during designated hours or seeking assistance if you need it in accessing food, essential supplies and medicine. And, generally limiting your contacts.

Like everyone else we are saying, be especially careful about maintaining a 2 metre distance from others when exercising outdoors and wash hands on returning home. This is because of how we understand that disease effects this group.

In total 69,500 employers registered with Revenue for the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme.

An estimated 370,000 employees are currently being supported by the scheme having received a subsidy in their most recent pay period.

Today (19 August), Revenue has generated further payments to employers under the scheme of €17 million.

These payments will be in the bank accounts of the majority of the respective employers tomorrow (20 August).

The cumulative value of payments made to employers under the scheme is now over €2.5 billion (€2,585 million).

The Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) will replace the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) from 1 September 2020.

As with the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme employers must show their eligibility for the scheme.

Revenue has published comprehensive guidelines outlining the eligibility criteria and supporting proofs that employers need to satisfy in order to participate in the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme on www.revenue.ie.

Revenue have also put in place the Enhanced Help to Buy Scheme for first-time buyers.

Those eligible for the enhanced Help to Buy scheme can now make their application online through myAccount or Revenue’s Online Service, ROS.

Further details and guidance is available on www.revenue.ie.

Approximately 232,400 people who were unemployed last week have received their weekly payment under the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment scheme.

This is a reduction of approx. 30,100 on the number of people paid last week.

The overall value of the weekly payment is in the region of €72.2 million.

The overall number of PUP recipients represents an overall decrease of 365,600 or a reduction of 61% on the peak figure of 598,000 people who were receiving the payment on 5 May.

Last week, approx. 9,700 people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment closed their claim as they had returned to work as part of the Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business.

Approximately 4,300 of these are receiving their last unemployment payment this week because they were unemployed in the payment week, which is due to recipients.

Since the start of the reopening, approx. 296,000 people have closed their claim as they have returned to work.

If you are returning to work today, you should close your claim as you return to work.

On Friday, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection opened applications for the newly revamped Enterprise Support Grant – designed to assist the self-employed as they get back on their feet following COVID-19.

This grant, worth up to €1,000 per person, is aimed at sole traders such as plumbers, electricians, carpenters, taxi drivers and so on, who do not pay commercial rates and therefore do not qualify for the government’s Restart Grant Plus Scheme.

Funding may be sought for a range of costs incurred in reopening a business including:

• purchase of equipment including signage and personal protective equipment
• repairs, maintenance and installation of safety measures
• salaries
• vehicle running costs including fuel

The Enterprise Support Grant previously supported entrepreneurs who were setting up new enterprises.

It has now been revamped to specifically provide once-off supports for self-employed people who have been severely impacted and have had to cease operations as a result of the pandemic.

Further information is available here.

Businesses continue to engage with government departments and agencies in accessing the wide range of supports available to support them during the pandemic.

The new Restart Grant Plus was announced last week and already 481 applications have been received with 273 of these approved, resulting in over €2.69 million in grant assistance being paid to small businesses.

Applications for the Trading Online Voucher Scheme, operated through the Local Enterprise Office network, have now reached 8,928 applications, with 6,338 approvals made to a value of €14.56 million.

On Friday last the government announced a package of measures for businesses in Kildare, Laois and Offaly, which have been adversely impacted by renewed COVID-19 restrictions.

The measures include a 20% top-up on the recently announced Restart Grant Plus, bringing the new minimum to €4,800 and the new maximum to €30,000.

A sum of €1 million is being ring-fenced for the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in the three counties to increase engagement with local businesses and ensure they are aware of the various supports available. In addition, applications from these counties will be prioritised for all existing schemes.

Finally, Fáilte Ireland is being allocated €1 million to undertake a promotional campaign focused on specifically promoting Kildare, Laois and Offaly.

For more information on these supports see gov.ie here.

The Community Call Fora, run by the local authorities, have continued to operate and will do so as long as they are needed.

Remember, anyone who needs support at this time, including those over 70 or the medically vulnerable, the Community Call fora helplines are there to help.

The Fora helpline numbers are available on gov.ie or you can contact ALONE, the national charity for older people on 0818 222 024.

Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA)

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is a nationwide scheme that provides a once-off payment to eligible families towards the cost of school clothing and footwear.

The majority of these payments were automatically paid to approximately 115,000 families in respect of approximately 210,000 children during the week beginning 13 July, which amounted to approximately €43 million.

However, anyone receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment are eligible to apply for the payment.

€152.9 million has been made available for the scheme for this year to take into account the number of families who continue to depend on the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

Anyone who wants to apply or families who received a payment last year and who have not already received a notification from the department of an automated payment are advised to make an application now via MyWelfare.ie.

This is the quickest and easiest way to apply.

The closing date for receipt of applications for this year’s Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is 30 September 2020.

There are dedicated phone lines provided for people with enquiries relating to the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance to call.

These are: 071 9193318 and 0818 11 11 13 and are open during usual business hours Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Further extensions to validity of Driving Licences

Driving licences that expired or will expire between 1 March 2020 and 31 August 2020 are now extended for 7 months.

This means that licences that expired between 1 March and 30 June will have an additional 3 months added to the initial 4 month extension, and licences that expired or will expire between 1 July and 31 August will be extended by 7 months.

Rental protections

At the beginning of this month, the Residential Tenancies and Valuations Act 2020, came into effect. The Act strengthens tenancy protections for tenants economically impacted by COVID-19 - those unable to pay rent and facing difficulty in sustaining their tenancy.

Neither rent increases nor evictions can now take effect for these tenants until 11 January 2021 at the earliest. The Act provides for 90 days minimum termination notice (increased from 28 days) for tenants in rent arrears during the new emergency period. The new emergency period expires on 10 January 2021.

The Act also places new permanent requirements on landlords to provide copies of rent arrears warning notices and termination notices to tenants to the Residential Tenancies Board.

You can get more information, including comprehensive guidance, on the new legislation at the Residential Tenancies Board or by phone at Lo-call: 0818 30 30 37.

I have spoken before about the importance of personal responsibility. As the Acting CMO said last night, in learning to live with this disease we need to strike a balance between enjoying our lives and behaving responsibly and these measures depend upon all of us to taking responsibility.

Last night and today many groups are upset and perhaps unsure as to why certain activities are being curtailed and others are not. The central message is that we need to reduce the numbers of people gathering and mixing. This reduces the number of contacts and limits the channels through which COVID-19 finds its routes into the community.

Of course, one choice is to close everything down. That would bring a halt, we know that. What Government has chosen to do in line with the public health advice, is to reduce as much activity and potential for spread in uncontrolled environments as possible. This is being done in favour of schools reopening, our health services resuming and as many businesses as possible remaining open.

This is a balancing act. It’s about reducing, managing and mitigating risk. It’s not about eliminating all risk. Until we have a vaccine we can’t eliminate the risk.

It is about where we currently think risk is most manifest and most difficult to control.

We will have to continue to assess the situation every day.

What we have to remember is as a country we worked together to supress COVID-19, we know what works.

We must recommit to this effort now and all follow the measures that we know work and that I have spoken about at all of these briefings since we began many months ago.

We must all continue to:

• wash hands regularly and thoroughly – especially after you have been out and about or in and out of other peoples’ homes or businesses
• observe good cough and sneeze etiquette
• maintain social distancing and remember to exercise judgement about where you spend time – keep in mind that if a place doesn’t seem safe it probably isn’t safe
• keep your social interactions to a minimum to limit the amount of contacts that you have
• wear face coverings, on public transport, in shops and shopping centres, and in all indoor settings where social

It is also vitally important that you know the symptoms of COVID-19. If you are feeling unwell, if you have a high temperature, if you have a cough of any description, if you feel short of breath or if you feel that you have had a change in your taste or your smell you need to do two things. Firstly, you need to self-isolate immediately, you can still spread the virus without a formal diagnosis, you need to ensure that you are not putting other people at risk. Secondly, you need to call your GP so that they can arrange testing for you. We have a system in place for dealing with this virus, but that system only works when everyone plays their part and behaves responsibly. If you think you have the virus you need to report your symptoms without delay to protect yourself, the people around you and anyone you may have been in contact with.

Finally we know that it is the uncertainty that is most difficult to individuals, families, community and businesses. Work has been ongoing for our next phased roadmap.

The government will publish a Roadmap for Resilience and Recovery in advance of 13 September. This will map how we balance public health, economic and social aspects of living with COVID-19 in the short to medium term and try to bring some greater certainty so that society and business can at least plan forward.

Again, to quote the CMO, the virus is not tired, even though we might be - we are certainly tired of it. We can’t let that fatigue influence the decisions we make though. It is not only here in Ireland that has experienced a spike in cases, throughout Europe our neighbours are having a similar experience. As we move around more we begin to behave as we always have done, however what we have seen in recent weeks is that to supress the spread of COVID-19 again depends upon all of us collectively adjusting our behaviour, it depends on all of us being vigilant.

Thank you.