Dáil witnesses in same place for too long would breach Covid-19 guidelines

The Oireachtas has been told that it would be a breach of Covid-19 guidelines for witnesses in Leinster House to be in the same place together for more than two hours even if they change location.

The Dáil's new committee on the response to the Covid-19 pandemic is meeting today with witnesses including the chief executive of the HSE Paul Reid, the chief medical officer Tony Holohan and the secretary general of the Department of Health Jim Breslin.

Documentation circulated amongst members of the Oireachtas business committee state that a number of today’s witnesses were “unwilling to attend together for more than one two-hour session.”

The document says that some of the witnesses “communicated orally to the Clerk to the Committee” that “it was a breach of the guidelines to have witnesses together for more than two hours, notwithstanding the fact that their locations would change” between sessions.

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Implications

Further advice was sought from consultant microbiologist Prof Martin Cormican. In written correspondence to the Oireachtas, Mr Cormican said that "if a person at one of the hearings develops Covid-19 in the two days after the hearing they attended and if the hearing lasted for two hours or for more then everyone else who was in the room for that two hour period will be designated a Covid contact and will be advised to self-isolate for 14 days."

“Asking people to leave the room at two hours for a break will not change that assessment and it remains my view that in the context of the controls we have discussed asking people to leave the room at two hours for a break and then reassemble does not offer any benefit in terms of infection prevention and control.”

Sources on the business committee say the advice could have significant implications for how the Oireachtas conducts its business in the weeks and months ahead.

The committee is due to consider the matter further later this afternoon.

It comes after the former head of the HSE Tony O'Brien questioned the advisability of having Mr Holohan, Mr Reid and Mr Breslin before the committee.