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AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA has begun to conduct checkpoints in Kildare, Offaly and Laois as part of the fresh restrictions imposed on the counties due to outbreaks of Covid-19.
Last night, the government announced the new restrictions for these counties, which are set to last for two weeks. Residents in three counties are advised not to travel outside of their county in a bid to prevent transmission of the virus.
People are asked to only undertake essential travel at this time, such as to attend medical appointments, for vital family reasons, for farming purposes or to travel to and from work that cannot be done from home.
Pubs and restaurants are asked to close and only operate for takeaway purposes. People travelling into these counties are asked to do so only for essential reasons.
The rise in cases in these counties is primarily linked to outbreaks in meat processing plants and in Direct Provision. Public health officials have said it was essential to take the steps that have been taken to ensure the virus doesn’t spread within the community.
Gardaí have been conducting the first checkpoints near the borders of these counties since this morning. They’re reminding motorists of the restrictions that came into effect at midnight.
Speaking today, Deputy Commissioner, Policing and Security John Twomey said:
“Throughout the country, it is vital that people adhere to the public health regulations in an effort to reduce the spread of Covid-19. This operation is designed to support the restrictions that are being implemented locally in these three counties in an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19.
It is vital that we continue to work to minimise the risk to ourselves, our families and our local communities. We would appeal to all those living in these counties to stay and home and not undertake unnecessary journeys in an effort to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
At the onset of the pandemic, gardaí were given powers to enforce the public health restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus.
As the country opened up, these powers were phased out but the government is set to bring in regulations granting gardaí powers in these three counties for the two-week period of restrictions. The regulations are expected to come into force on Sunday night.
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The privatisation of waste collection is biting hard it seems. It also getting harder and harder to find a public bin to dispose of the odd choc ice wrapper.
@Padraig Grimes: The privatization of any essential services are have been proved to be an absolute disaster. To many greedy people draining the finances to line their own pockets, with bonuses, expenses ect ect ect.
@Colette Kearns: you said it, just look at England.
@Padraig Grimes: the problem is the dirty Irish. In particular the durty dubs.
Well those who dumped in the mountains were hardly looking for bins.
@Mary King: no, and I’m not defending public dumping, but just maybe they can’t afford a private bin collection.
@Padraig Grimes: to be fair there are alot of people pleading poverty who have no problem working out for TV subscriptions and pizza.
How badly littered is Ireland? Join us at OpenLitterMap.com – it’s like Pokémon Go for Tidy Towns
I lived in Australia for a number of years. They did not privatise the bins. Its is paid for through their house tax (rates). One a year the council do a large items collection, they give your neighbourhood a weeks notice and you leave all your large rubbish out (beds, furniture etc) and its taken…… This results in zero dumpling, until we so the same dumpling will continue. Id rather pay the government 400 euro a year for this service than a private bin company.
@George Weener: this is Ireland, we get no service for the family home tax.
@George Weener: but I like dumplings!
Block the scenic roads with a metal barrier like Coilte
Pay for a tag to let you through and it is then recorded
Goodnight to the major dumpers
@Quentin Moriarty: like the tag for the toll. Who is passing through there to view the scenery at night when most fly tipping happens ?
Revenue from the tags is ring fences to maintain the area
@Quentin Moriarty:
That’s way too logic. How dare you.
Waste being dumped on one hand, litter bins being removed by council’s on the other, spotted two very ignorant car drivers throwing their cigarettes out the windows, needless to say they weren’t too enthusiastic when I gave them my middle finger as I passed them in traffic in the city link road in traffic on my motorcycle yesterday.
@Charles Coughlan: well done for confronting them. Perhaps an open paper bag of butts thrown in would help them understand
Disgusting behaviour. Why on earth isnt domestic refuse collection incorporated into LPT? Why does every byway, village and estate have multiple companies collecting waste on different days, spewing out multiples of the CO2 that should be (more carbon tax anyone? says our wise government) and snarling up traffic? Why am i paying through the nose for all this when everyone should be paying their fair share and designated geographical areas should be efficently allocated to different waste collection companies with the savings passed on?….the answer has just come to me, its Ireland and the lunatics are in charge of the asylum.
@daniel casey: Been preaching exactly this formula for years, but no one in the ivory towers seem bothered. The refuse truck crews can identify the households & business premises that don’t have an approved bin service, but no one in authority canvasses that mine of information. Plus, the licensed companies, most of which are slicing their revenues off shore tax exempt, are only interested in subscribers with bank accounts to direct debit, or who are diligent in the prepayment top up system.
And as for the residual public space refuse service, it is also an uncoordinated shambles, very poorly managed, with vans & personnel buzzing hither & thither, never full, & never to be seen for weeks, or any afternoons.
Autumn leaves still mushed on paths & in drains late January throughout Dublin!
Littering in the mountains and countryside is epidemic. And it’s not being done by those who ‘can’t pay’ for bin services – just by those who are too greedy to pay.
Bin services were originally paid for through taxes, and they should be again. The cost of remediation must be huge under the current regime…
If there was anything more than lip service being paid to the disgusting fly tipping epidemic, domestic refuse charges would be part of LPT. The current system is ridiculous and incentivises illegal dumping. We’re going to be taxed to the hilt for carbon in a few years and yet every estate and byway in the land has two or three different companies carrying out refuse collections, each spewing out CO2 and holding up traffic. Who is responsible for this crazy system? Government get your act together, get the cheaters paying through LPT, allocate designated geographical areas to different waste collection companies and pass on the savings to consumers. Oh, i almost forgot….this is Ireland, the inbeciles in charge will never let that happen.
Only Dirt Bags that would do that..
Local Authorities made a small fortune when they privatized the Bin collection services. Please let us know what they did with the millions of euros that they received.
F F S
All used electrical appliances can be returned to electrical shops for free under the Wee scheme and are also taken in by County councils for free .
But some dump it and adds thousands of euro to the clean up bill .
Agreed with the idea to improve the garbage recollection system.
have your say