THE CURRENT GARDA Covid-19 Emergency Roster is set to be extended until 20 March 2022.

It comes as rank-and-file Gardaí were told last month that the percentage of Gardaí allowed to take annual leave at once was to be reduced from 25% to 10%, as part of contingency measures to deal with potential concerns around Covid-19.

The so-called “extraction rate”, which is a Garda phrase meaning the amount of the force that can be on annual leave or off work for other entitlements at any one time.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris made the decision to extend the Emergency Roster until 20 March, with the Garda Representative Association (GRA) saying that they were happy with the decision.

“As a result of sustained and repeated representations by the Garda Representative Association, we are happy to announce that the current Covid-19 Contingency Roster has now been extended until March 20, 2022,” said a statement from the GRA.

“We hope this provides some level of certainty to our members in the months ahead.”

The Journal reported last month that the moves by the Gardaí to restrict the extraction rate are part of a broader strategy to deal with potential decisions by the Government around increased restrictions over Christmas.

“This is not to be taken as a sign that a lockdown is imminent and it’s important that people see this in the context of a cautious approach by garda management,” a source said. 

“This is being done because there needs to be capacity in the system to deal with any eventuality – we may need more bodies on the streets.

“This will be reviewed at the moment but it would be foolish for the organisation not to put a contingency in place.”

Additional reporting by Niall O’Connor