The Government has this evening published the list of essential service providers who are permitted to travel to and from work during the lockdown until April 12.

The following is the guidance issued:

What employers should do

• refer to this guidance to decide whether your organisation is providing an essential service; it is not necessary to seek official authorisation
• if you are providing an essential service, you should identify those employees (including sub-contractors etc) who are essential to the provision of that service and notify them (this can be done by category of employee or by individual; it could include all employees of the organisation)
• if you are providing an essential service, latest public health guidance should be followed at all times

What employees should do

• if your employer notifies you that you are an essential employee, or that you belong to a category of essential employees, you are permitted to travel to and from work
• when travelling to and from work, you should at all times bring with you either a work identification or a letter from your employer indicating that you are an essential employee, as well as one other form of identification
• If you are self-employed, a farmer or agricultural worker, or a member of the clergy, you should carry one form of identification with you at all times.

If you are a volunteer who is working as part of the national community response, you are permitted to travel for that purpose, eg if you are delivering food, supplies or medicine to a person who is cocooned or vulnerable. The Local Government emergency response teams will co-ordinate that response at local level.

Business Continuity and Resilience

All organisations who provide essential services should have business continuity and resilience plans in place. This should take account of the possibility that key workers or key facilities may be impacted by COVID-19.

Non Essential Services

If you are not engaged in the provision of essential services, then you are not permitted to travel to and from work until April 12th 2020.

There will be a grace period until 6pm on Monday March 30th for people who need to make necessary arrangements to wind down their activities in an orderly way. This should however be done in a way that minimises travel and personal interaction as much as possible.

In exceptional circumstances, it is accepted that some extra time will be needed for a wind down of activity, or necessary for a site to continue to operate at a reduced level of activity eg in complex manufacturing processes or very large construction projects.

Review

This Guidance will be kept under ongoing review, and will be updated as required.

Services provided in the following areas are considered to be essential:

Agriculture & Fishing

• farmers
• farm labourers
• farm relief service workers,
• others involved directly or indirectly in crop and animal production and related activities (including veterinary services), and workers involved in fishing

Manufacturing

• the manufacture of food and beverage products
• the manufacture of prepared animal feeds
• the manufacture of work-wear apparel or footwear
• the manufacture of pulp, paper and paperboard and wood;
• the printing and reproduction of newspapers and other media services
• the manufacturing of coke and refined petroleum products
• the manufacturing of alumina; chemicals and chemical products
• the manufacture of pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations
• the manufacture of products necessary for the supply chain of essential services; computer, electronic and optical products including semi-conductors; electrical equipment, machinery and other equipment (including agricultural and forestry machinery); medical devices; and medical and dental equipment and supplies.

Repair and installation of Machinery and Equipment

• the supply, repair and installation of machinery and equipment and industrial machinery and equipment for essential services

Electricity, Gas & Water

• electric power generation, transmission and distribution
• extraction and distribution of gas;
• water collection, treatment and supply
• sewerage; waste collection, remediation activities and other waste management treatment and disposal activities

Construction

• essential health and related projects relevant to the COVID-19 crisis, and supplies necessary for such projects;
• repair/construction of critical road and utility infrastructure
• delivery of emergency services to businesses and homes on an emergency call-out basis in areas such as electrical, plumbing, glazing and roofing.

Wholesale and Retail Trade

• retail services in accordance with the separate “Updated Essential Retail Outlets ” list;
• wholesale and distribution services necessary for the sale of food, beverages, fuel, medicines, medical products and devices and essential household products; takeaways and food delivery services

Transport Storage and Communication

• land transport (e.g. bus, rail and taxi services)
• road, rail, sea and air freight
• sea and air passenger services; ports and airports
• warehousing and support activities for transportation including cargo-handling; postal and courier activities; network control and critical maintenance (including roads); and safety related functions

Accommodation and Food Services

• hotels or similar providing essential accommodation (including homeless, direct provision and related services)
• food and beverage service activities in accordance with the separate the essential retail outlets listlist or for supply to a business engaged in an essential service

Information and Communications

• the publishing of newspapers, journals and periodicals as well as video, television programme production, sound recording, radio and television broadcasting; wired and satellite and telecommunications activities; internet and cloud providers; data centres and related services.

Financial and legal activities

• banking and financial services (including banks, credit unions and post offices)
• accountancy, legal and insurance services necessary to support essential services and vulnerable people

Professional, Scientific and Technical activities

• engineering, technical testing activities and analysis
• scientific research and development activities
• regulation, inspection and certification services necessary to support essential services

Rental and Leasing Activities

• rental and lease of cars
• light motor vehicles and trucks necessary to support the provision of essential services.

Administrative and Support Services

Where necessary to support other essential services:

• employment placement and human resources associated with the recruitment and deployment of workers
• security activities to assist in the delivery of essential services and the securing of premises closed to the public
• cleaning of buildings and industrial cleaning activities; business support activities which are necessary to support essential services included on this list; payroll and payment services necessary for the operation of businesses; data processing, hosting and related activities.

Public Administration and Defence

Public administration activities necessary to support essential services and provision of social protection benefits (including Civil Service and Local Government);

• An Garda Siochana, Garda Staff and the Garda Reserve
• public order, safety, fire service and ambulance activities
• the Defence Forces;
• emergency call answering service to ensure administration of justice;
• Prison services and Child Detention services
• cyber-security
• regulatory processes and certification required to ensure supply chains, food, medicine and general process safety
• operation of botanical gardens, parks, forests and nature reserves
• funeral services
• religious personnel
• office-holders and public representatives

Human health and social work activities

• hospital services
• paramedical and essential therapy activities
• public health activities (including all those deployed to contract tracing and COVID-19 testing services)
• laboratory services
• drug treatment and addiction services
• hospice services
• pharmacy services
• primary care, general and specialist medical practice activities provided by public and private providers
• emergency dental practice activities
• blood donation service
• residential care activities (including nursing care, mental health and substance abuse, elderly and persons with disabilities, children’s residential services)
• homecare home help and other community services
• social work and social care activities (including disability services, mental health, child protection and welfare, domestic, sexual and gender based violence, homeless services including outreach)
• ambulance/pre-hospital emergency care services
• minor injury units
• maternity services
• health, social work, environmental, food safety regulatory activities

Community/Voluntary Services

• community and voluntary workers, working in a publicly commissioned service, not otherwise included on the list, deployed to assist in the delivery of essential services *volunteer services operating under the local authority emergency management framework in accordance with public health guidance