Briefing on the government's response to COVID-19 - Wednesday 13 May 2020

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

Good Morning.

As we know, the government will decide later this week on the potential lifting of some restrictions in accordance with its Item was unpublished or removed

Through everyone’s efforts, good progress has been made in the suppression of the virus in our community. Any lifting of restrictions carries risk of going backwards and losing the hard-won progress of the last few months.

This week, we have seen some countries reinstate some restrictions. We do not want to have to do that, we are approaching our reopening in a gradual way, therefore it is vital that we continue to be disciplined in sticking to the guidelines that apply now.

Our ability to decrease the spread and impact of the virus and progress steadily through the phases of the roadmap will be dependent on us continuing to follow the public health advice to:

• wash hands regularly and thoroughly
• use good cough and sneeze etiquette
• observe social distancing measures

It is also really important to remember that we have not started to ease restrictions yet. Every day counts in terms of assessing where we are, and whether or not we can begin to move on.

We would like to take a bit of time this morning to re-emphasise some key measures of the phase we are currently in – we are asked not to make unnecessary travel or journeys, we are asked to stay home, we can go outside for exercise, but only within 5 kilometres of our houses and only alone or with members of our households.

Those over 70 or who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 are asked to stay home, apart from when taking brief exercise.

For as long as COVID-19 is with us, these are measures which we must keep even as we begin to reopen our country. These habits will have to become the norm.

Over 53,600 employers are now registered with Revenue for the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme.

Almost 460,000 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 (13 May), Revenue has generated further payments to employers under the scheme of almost €18 million.

These payments will be in the bank accounts of the majority of the respective employers tomorrow (14 May).

The cumulative value of payments made to employers under the scheme is €908 million.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has announced that balancing payments under the Organic Farming Scheme will be made two weeks earlier than last year.

Bringing forward these payments should help improve cash flow on Irish farms in these challenging times.

The main aim of this scheme is to support organic farmers in supplying the increasing consumer demand for local organically produced food and the annual payments under the Scheme amount to approximately €10 million.

The balancing payments will see over €1 million paid to 1,200 farmers.

On Monday the Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation met with the Chief Executives of the five major Irish retail banks.

The banking sector will play an important role in supporting the gradual reopening of the Irish economy by ensuring a flow of credit to businesses as they begin to trade again.

Banks are currently providing six-month payment breaks on mortgages and loans for both homes and businesses.

In addition, business and mortgage customers will have the option of having the term of their loan extended so they do not face a rise in monthly repayments when they resume paying and it was agreed that these extensions will not affect credit ratings.

If you need any of these supports, please engage with your lender.

The Department of Justice and Equality has announced a 4-month extension for licences in the property services sector.

This is to enable property service providers, such as auctioneers, estate agents, letting agents and property management agents, to continue to provide property services, while meeting their statutory obligations.

This will also ensure that requirements which protect those selling, buying or renting property remain effective.

The measure applies to licenses due to expire between 7 May and the end of August.

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 over 750 calls and made approximately 280 follow-up calls to people who have contacted them.

Nationally, since 31 March, the Community Call Fora have received over 34,600 calls and have made approximately 14,600 follow-up calls.

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

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

I mentioned on Monday Government’s supports for the community and voluntary sector, charity organisations and social enterprises. The supports consist of two elements; today will see the launch of the second element, the ‘Innovate Together Fund’, this is a partnership between Government, Social Innovation Fund Ireland and the Philanthropic Community. It is designed to support the sector in finding ways to innovate and adapt to the challenges presented by COVID-19.

The Fund starts with a €5 million commitment from the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) (from the Dormant Accounts Fund), which will be supplemented over time by donations from the philanthropic sector.

Applications open today and are being sought from organisations who have developed creative responses to the crisis and have lasting potential in the areas of community, health, education, employability or economy.

The fund is based on the principle that innovation is one of the keys to addressing emerging social, economic and environmental needs in a sustainable way. As we begin to build a path to recovery, now is the time to come together to build an Ireland in which we all want to live and work. A country that is inclusive, equal and focused on sustainable solutions.

Information on how to apply is available on gov.ie.

You may remember previously that the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government extended the period for public participation in the planning system.

The government has agreed to further extend all public participation periods in the planning system for 14 additional days, up to and including 23 May 2020.

This measure will help ensure that public participation in the planning process is not diminished.

The department is also working with local authorities to ensure continued maximum use of online facilities.

An updated ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ document is available on www.housing.gov.ie.

Yesterday the revised arrangements for this year’s National Famine Commemoration were announced.

As with the recent Easter and Arbour Hill Commemorations the ceremony will be conducted in line with health and safety guidelines and will not be open to the public however, as in previous years, the ceremony will be broadcast on RTÉ News Now.

Due to the current restrictions, the National Famine Commemoration which had been scheduled to take place in Buncrana, Co. Donegal this year will now be held in 2021.

We are aware of questions arising on the potential use of face coverings as we move to lift restrictions.

As you know, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has said that it does see a role for face coverings that are not of medical standard in community settings.

Work is ongoing around guidance on practical communications about the nature of the face coverings and how people might make those for themselves.

A key message will be around how to safely use face coverings, because the evidence is clear, if face coverings aren’t used properly they can have the effect of increasing the risk of transmission.

We expect to have further information for the public in the coming days.

In supporting the COVID-19 public health guidelines, An Garda Síochána has adopted a graduated policing response based on its tradition of policing by consent. This has seen Garda members engage, educate, encourage and only as a last resort, enforce.

An Garda Síochána continues to experience a high level of compliance with the public health guidelines at the many checkpoints and high visibility patrols it is conducting at tourist locations, natural beauty spots, and parks and beaches.

During this time, Gardai have interacted with hundreds of thousands of people. The vast majority were adhering to the public health guidelines.

Gardaí have invoked the regulations 192 times out of hundreds of thousands of interactions with the public.

These include both arrests and incidents without arrest where name and address details were taken for consultation with the DPP on the decision to issue charges. Arrest remains a last resort.

The Gardai have also provided some information on vetting - from 12 March to 9 May, the Garda National Vetting Bureau (GNVB) has processed 21,542 vetting applications for COVID-19 related roles. They are fully up-to-date with all vetting applications with a current turnaround time for vetting applications of one day.

In light of the recent spell of dry weather and the increased domestic usage of water, with people spending more time at home, we are asking everyone to be mindful of the need to conserve water at this time.

We would like to ask that people prioritise handwashing, which as we know, continues to be a vital way of preventing the spread of COVID-19, over less essential uses of water, and make an effort to conserve water where possible.

There are some simple measures that can be taken to conserve water at home such as avoiding the use of power washers, using a watering can rather than a hose in the garden, taking showers over baths and fixing any dripping taps where it is possible to do so.

There is advice and guidance for homes, businesses and farms, including information on how much water you can save with simple measures available on gov.ie.

To restate, our ability to move through the roadmap will be dependent on various factors relating to public health, as well as the economic and social implications of our response to COVID-19.

As we approach each new phase, these factors will be assessed and the government will use them in order to decide whether we are ready to further ease restrictions.

Recent research conducted by the Department of Health shows that in general compliance with safe behaviours to protect from COVID-19 remains high, with 95% of people are washing their hands more often, 78% coughing into their elbows, 71% disposing of used tissues immediately and 90% social distancing in queues.

In addition, a nationally representative online survey of 1,270 adults conducted on Monday 11 May reveals that the public intend to continue with safe behaviours into the future.

For example:

• 71% intend to use sanitiser, up from 59% one month ago
• 61% intend on sitting further apart from others when outside or on public transport, up from 36% one month ago
• 34% intend on staying at home rather than going out, up from 16% one month ago

These are actions that we all need to keep up, to keep each other safe.

Of more concern is that research also suggests that 43% of the population believe the worst of this pandemic is behind us. Certainly, we have, so far, avoided a situation where our system has been overwhelmed. But we also know of the devastating impact it has had on many families and communities.

The virus is still circulating, the risk is still there in our communities.

The World Health Organization has advised that a likely future scenario in the dynamic of COVID-19 is recurring epidemic waves interspersed with periods of low-level transmission. This means that when Ireland eases restrictions, we may have periods of time when the numbers of people infected increases again.

In order to continue protecting ourselves, the most vulnerable in our communities and our healthcare workers, we must continue to practice regular hand washing, good cough and sneeze hygiene, and physical distancing.

The health service will continue to prepare and respond to the virus, the public are asked to stay the course and keep up the progress we have made.