Briefing on the government's response to COVID-19 - Thursday 28 May 2020

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

Good Morning.

As we move into another bank holiday weekend, I want to begin today by reiterating the vital public health guidance that we all need to follow at this time:

• maintain social distancing at all times, even when meeting with friends or loved ones
• keep hands clean, wash them regularly and be mindful to avoid unnecessary touching of your face
• use good cough and sneeze etiquette

I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone again for adhering to this guidance, which is continuing to benefit our communities. We are still seeing encouraging indications in relation to community transmission and that is because everyone is continuing to play their part and protect each other.

The guidance we have been asked to follow has not been easy for anyone. Therefore, it is good to see that people are taking time to prioritise not only their physical health, but their mental wellbeing which is vital in these unprecedented and difficult circumstances. A study conducted in recent weeks shows that 76% of people are actively taking steps to look after their wellbeing. It’s important that we all applaud those efforts and encourage each other to keep it up. In these difficult times we can help each other to stay motivated and positive, and remember that we are #InThisTogether.

The study also showed that while people are confident that they know where to go to find more information on looking after their wellbeing, they were less certain of where they might find helpful information around other areas such as stress management and information for parents.

So, I just want to remind everyone that there are helpful resources around these issues available on Item was unpublished or removed.

Over 57,200 employers are now registered with Revenue for the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme.

Over 495,100 employees have now received at least one payment under scheme. This does not include additional employees who may receive a subsidy as a result of payments generated today.

Today (28 May), Revenue has generated further payments to employers under the scheme of €62.5 million.

These payments will be in the bank accounts of the majority of the respective employers tomorrow (29 May).

The cumulative value of payments made to employers under the scheme is €1.24 billion (€1,244 million).

On Tuesday, people who were unemployed last week received their weekly payment of €350 under the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment scheme.

Some of these received their last payment because they had returned to work on or after 18 May as part of the first phase of the Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business.

Since then a number of social media tweets have been posted by people who have returned to work asking if they should have received this payment.

In this case, they are entitled to the payment because payment of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is made in arrears. On Tuesday last, payment was due for the period 15 to 21 May and if you were unemployed for all or part of that week, you are entitled to the payment.

If you have any queries in relation to the payment, you can contact the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection at 1890 800 024. Information is also available on here.

I want to flag that the temporary relaxation from certain provisions of EU driving and resting times rules introduced due to the exceptional requirements of COVID-19 are due to expire on 31 May.

From 1 June operators and drivers must comply with the normal rules applicable to driving and resting times for drivers of commercial vehicles. Contact with road haulage representatives will be maintained and ongoing developments relating to any further exceptional measures that may be required will be monitored.

The Community Call Fora, run by the local authorities, continue to provide help and support to those in need in communities around the country. Yesterday, they received approximately 525 calls and made approximately 203 follow-up calls to people who have contacted them.

Nationally, since 31 March, the Community Call Fora have received approximately 43,000 calls and have made over 17,300 follow-up calls.

Remember, you can find your local Community Call helpline number on here.

You can also contact ALONE on 0818 222 024 if you are experiencing difficulties or just want someone to talk to.

In March a call went out across Ireland for volunteers to support the community response to COVID-19. Since that day almost 17,000 people have registered to volunteer through the I-VOL app. We would like to welcome and celebrate that fantastic level of support in local communities all over the country.

Volunteers who sign up are directly linked by their volunteer centre to local organisations responding to COVID-19 and there they play a very important role in essential work – from delivering food and medicines to people who are self-isolating to working in test centres, as well as giving assistance to their families, friends and neighbours.

The spirit of these volunteers has been a vital resource in our response to COVID-19 and is a great credit to our communities and we are very grateful for this support.

Throughout these difficult weeks, people have been finding great ways to continue to look after their physical fitness in the absence of our normal routines. We’ve all noticed more people out walking, running and cycling and now research published this week by Sport Ireland has found that this is indeed the case. The research indicated that the number of adults participating in sport and recreational walking during COVID-19 restrictions is now at record levels with 45% of adults participating in both types of activities compared to 36% just before COVID-19.

The numbers of adults walking for recreation has increased by 18% since the restrictions were introduced which is equivalent to over 3.1 million regular walkers. This is the highest level ever recorded by Sport Ireland.

This research has also shown that there are now more than 1.9 million regular participants in sporting activities with more than half of the adult population (52%) engaging in sufficient levels of activity to meet the National Physical Activity Guidelines.

There have not been too many positives to this experience but perhaps some of us will have discovered the physical and mental benefits of exercise and will have formed new and lasting habits.

Yesterday, the Department of Rural and Community Development announced that €15 million would be allocated to the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. This scheme provides funding for projects that support rural communities to be more attractive and sustainable. This year the scheme will be directed to support projects that will assist the economic and social recovery of towns and villages in response to COVID-19.

Towns and villages across Ireland will have an important role to play as community and economic hubs as COVID-19 restrictions are eased in line with the government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business. This scheme will be providing funding for a broad range of strategic proposals which will assist in that effort.

A new measure will accelerate support and help towns and villages to adapt to public health requirements. This includes a simplified application and approval process to help smaller projects, which are part of a COVID-19 response, to be approved and delivered quickly.

This measure will be delivered through Local Authorities, but it is expected that project proposals will be developed in conjunction with local business and community groups in each town and village.

The measure is open and flexible to facilitate the funding of good ideas that emerge locally. Every town and village is different and solutions need to be developed in a way that reflects those differences.

The National Archives has received a large increase in traffic to its website over the last number of weeks, with the census site in particular experiencing a 54% increase in visitors.

A reminder that this website presents a huge opportunity for people to spend time researching family history and genealogy as well as learning about Irish history, when other activities are not open to them due to restrictions.

Whether you are interested in finding your ancestors through the 1901 or 1911 census, reading the original Anglo-Irish Treaty 1921 and other digitised documents from that time, showing your children the Titanic under construction, or exploring original documents from the proceedings of the First Dáil Éireann in 1919, the National Archives is a treasure trove waiting to be explored, with many resources that tell the story of the Irish State since its foundation.

See here for more details on how to access the archive.

I want to take the opportunity to issue a very important reminder to students and families across the country today. The Leaving Certificate 2020 - Calculated Grades Student Portal will close at 10pm tonight. All Leaving Certificate students wishing to be evaluated through calculated grades need to complete the registration process on this portal before that time. It is advised not to leave registration until the last minute and to register as soon as possible.

To register, students need:

• their Examination number
• their Personal Public Service (PPS) Number
• a mobile phone number
• their email address

If anyone is having difficulty with any aspect of registering, they can contact their school or the helpdesk on 1800 1111 35. Full information on this is available at Item was unpublished or removed

All students following the Leaving Certificate Established or Leaving Certificate Vocational Programmes are also required to confirm the level at which they intended to sit each of their subjects. Students will have the option of confirming the level or changing to a lower level.

Over 56,000 students have registered so far, but there are several thousand students who have still not registered.

So, if you know a Leaving Certificate or Leaving Certificate applied student please encourage them to register before 10pm tonight at Item was unpublished or removed

In relation to travel I want to begin by clarifying that the current public health advice to Irish citizens and residents is to avoid all non-essential international travel. Currently passengers arriving into Ireland from overseas are asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

As of today, it is obligatory for passengers arriving from abroad to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form, which will capture contact details and details of where the passenger intends to self-isolate.

The form will be used to facilitate a system of follow up checks to make sure people who travel to the country are staying where they said that they would and will also be critical in terms of tracing.

Certified international transport workers, air and maritime pilot/masters and crew, will not have to complete the form.

The Gardaí this week are continuing to report that compliance with restrictions is high in communities. People have been responsible in how they have adapted to phase one of the Roadmap and continue to respect the public health guidance.

Since 8 April new COVID-19 policing regulations have had to be invoked 263 times out of over a million interactions. An Garda Síochána have noted that there continues to be very good co-operation by the public with the Gardaí in their role of keeping people safe.

It is vital as we move into the bank holiday weekend that we continue that good work. With the fine weather, now more than ever, we want to go back to our traditional bank holiday activities but we need to remember that we are still in the very early days of reopening. We are asking you to keep the public health advice in mind whatever your plans. We still need to be cautious, we need to prioritise our health and the health of our loved ones, we need to protect our communities from the spread of COVID-19.

This week saw the announcement of measures to assist international students studying English in Ireland who have been impacted by the pandemic.

Due to COVID-19 many students left Ireland to return home before the completion of their studies. These students will be allowed to return to Ireland and resume their studies and their absence will not count towards the maximum two-year period permitted for English language study.

In addition, many language students with current valid permissions remain in Ireland unable to go home due to COVID-19. Those individuals will be permitted to remain past the 2-year maximum period until the end of the year, provided they re-enrol in an online course of study for the remainder of the year.

COVID-19 has impacted everyone in Ireland including immigrant communities and our international student population. It is hoped that these measures will offer some assurance and certainty over coming

months.

As we approach the long weekend we know that everyone will want to get outside, keep active and enjoy the beautiful weather. This is an important part of looking after our wellbeing.

But as I said, it is really important to remember that we must still stick to the public health guidelines, particularly to observe 2 metre social distancing at all times and to keep within our 5km limit and that includes visits to beaches, lakes and other such amenities.

Please also ensure that you follow advice from Water Safety Ireland who are warning of the danger of cold water for swimmers and also be aware that lifeguards are not currently in place.

For more on water safety advice, please see here.

I’ve also been asked to reiterate the concerns around road safety at the moment.

Yesterday, An Garda Síochána and The Road Safety Authority (RSA) renewed their appeal for road users to take extra care when using the roads, as provisional collision figures for 2020 show that there has been a 17% increase in the number of fatal crashes and a 9% increase in road deaths compared to last year. 60 people have been killed in 56 fatal collisions up to the 27 May 2020, compared to 55 deaths in 48 fatal collisions up to 27 May 2019.

So please bear this in mind if you need to take a journey on our roads this weekend.

Slow down and be very mindful of pedestrians and cyclists.

I want to give a last reminder that Bloom at Home will take place this Sunday 31 May. RTÉ in partnership with Bord Bia will run a competition to encourage people to share images and videos of their gardens and plants on social media. To take part, simply share your image or video with the hashtag #BloomwithRTE on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter on the day.