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FROM TODAY, AN Garda Síochána will be carrying out checkpoints within local areas as the country enters Level 5 restrictions again.
The government yesterday announced that the country is to re-enter Level 5 restrictions for a month, until 31 January. Speaking to reporters, the Taoiseach said, however, it was “fair to say” the restrictions would go on longer than January.
Under the fresh guidelines, household visits will no longer be allowed, while non-essential retail and gyms will be forced to close and a 5km travel limit will be in place.
The restrictions also mean visitors to homes or gardens are not allowed, up to six people are allowed to attend weddings while 10 mourners can attend funerals.
Health officials yesterday confirmed another 13 deaths and 1,718 cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.
Commencing today, gardaí will begin carrying out intensive mobile high visibility checkpoints within local areas to “engage, explain and encourage” people to support public health guidelines.
Gardaí will also continue to engage in high visibility patrolling in key public areas such as parks and recreational areas.
The Garda College is to remain closed until further notice and those resources will remain deployed in local communities.
National Units, Garda Protective Service Units and Garda Drugs Units will continue their role in the prevention and detection of the most indivious crimes that affect communities.
An Garda Síochána said that, as a community-based police service, local gardaí will continue to maintain personal interactions and where needed assist and support people.
Anyone with concerns for themselves or for a neighbour is asked to contact their local garda station. Contact details, including email contact, for all garda stations can be found on the Garda website or in any phonebook.
“An Garda Síochána’s focus remains on helping to prevent the spread of Covid-19 by seeking public compliance with public health regulations,” Deputy Commissioner John Twomey said.
Under Level 5, we are asking people to not make journeys unless they are essential, to minimise their contacts, to maintain social distancing, to wash their hands. By taking these steps, we can help protect our loved ones, our neighbours and our communities.
An Garda Síochána said it will continue to monitor public activity and compliance over the course of the New Year period and will provide further information, where appropriate.
Operation Faoiseamh
Over the coming weeks, An Garda Síochána will continue to support victims of domestic abuse under Operation Faoiseamh.
Introduced on 1 April 2020, Operation Faoiseamh has seen an enhanced level of support, protection and reassurance to victims of domestic abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic.
An Garda Síochána has said today it understands the move to Level 5 “may once again increase the anxiety and fear felt by those who may be victims of domestic abuse”.
“An Garda Síochána is here to help. Victims of domestic incidents, including coercive control, will continue to receive highest priority response for service,” they said.
The public is being reminded that travel restrictions do not apply in the case of domestic violence or to escape a risk of harm, whether to the person or to another person.
People who are victims of abuse or people who know family members or friends who are victims of abuse are being asked to make contact with gardaí.
People who require urgent assistance are asked to call 999 or 112.
“If you are unable to make phone contact please approach any member of An Garda Síochána on duty, on patrol, on a checkpoint and look for assistance. We are here to help,” gardaí said.
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Plenty of COVID being spread in Blanchardstown this morning.
@Cosmos20202020: and town
@Cosmos20202020: no reports yet on the journal as to the disgraceful scenes in the shopping centre
@Cosmos20202020: they really care for our country…
@Cosmos20202020: You sound like one of those Muppets from the early days of the pandemic. “I was in Aldi shopping and the place was packed with shoppers. Disgraceful it was, they should all have been at home……’cept me, coz I’m special”
@Tommy Roche: I think he means the so called BLM protest in the centre today where shops had to shut and people where assaulted. Also known as kids from the area running amok uncontrolled and think that this is America and every they see on social media is gospel
@Garreth mc mahon: yeah, running riot there….
@Tommy Roche: woooosh
@D.B: seen the videos earlier, hopefully cctv will be good enough to do them all, I’m sure Garda and Politicians will try to quietly dismiss it as it’s a sensitive issue around the western world
@Cosmos20202020: expect your thread to disappear soon, they put up a story about the protest outside cop shop with comments turned off but not the trouble in centre
@Garreth mc mahon: yeah, i saw the vids. marching around intimidating people, calling for windows to be smashed [a female] and clearly untouchable. i remember the guards aggressively broke up a demo on grafton street…..
@D.B: a few more going around of fighting and throwing objects at the Garda outside petrol station and still no reports on the journal
@Garreth mc mahon: Comments closed.
Oh great, Garda checkpoints to delay blue collar workers getting to and from work,workers that have to car pool because of restrictions to public transport.
@joe oneill: Yea it’s a disgrace, why have checkpoints when a lot of the country is still working and commuting. Checkpoints only work if there was a total lockdown in this situation.
@joe oneill: why blame the gardai? You know who is to blame and the gardai are just trying to deter those freedumb fighters.
Send them all to blachardstown shopping centre. Plenty of people there breaching the rules currently!
@Newto2016: It’s a funny thing how these facts are not mentioned in the briefings, just continue to blame the community,
@Newto2016: how do u think it gets into nursing homes and hospital …. It’s community transmission .
@Honeybee: its fairly obvious that the largest precentage of fatalities would come from the two areas with the largest population of the most at risk people. But would these outbreaks have happened if the virus was not widespread in the community, probably not. The virus doesn’t just appear from thin air in these settings, its carried in by some unsuspecting carrier, which is far less likely when covid rates in the community in general are low.
@jonathan: Irish times article this morning. Nursing home residents got it in hospital, transferred back into nursing homes and then had to be rehospitalised with Covid.
@Critical Thinker: and how did it get in the hospital still the same from the community but alot of staff brought it into nursing homes without even knowing it
@jonathan: The nursing home in my area has been closed to visitors since October. Its in a serious way now since mid Nov. Cases and deaths in double figures now. Up until then it was exemplary. H.S.E not giving any info to local media or families.
It’s the biggest waste of Garda resources ever. The last level 5 there were at least five Garda cars and two bikes permanently camped just before Bray north exit on M11. All it did was put hours onto tens of thousands of journeys every day. First of all they only pulled in random cars in the slow lane so anyone in the fast lane were able to carry on as normal once they got over the up to one hour delay. Secondly there mustn’t have been a problem with the spread of COVID when it was raining because then two or three guards were sitting inside the a few of the Garda cars getting shelter from the rain not wearing masks. Thirdly even if someone was breaking the rules they couldn’t turn them around as it was on a motorway so would have to rely on them coming off at the next exit. It’s a joke.
@Michael Hanley: drove through this checkpoint multiple times and through the clonee checkpoint on the M3. Both were actually a joke and as you described it just drive in the outside lane at speed and you’ve nothing to worry about
I’d suggest taking back control of blanchardstown, where people are being attacked based on the colour of their skin
@David Lee: Really. You actually believe it was, or did you just want to post a comment
I don’t know what your talking about. But I have seen footage of civilians being attacked along with buses by mobs in blanchardstown. The shopping centre footage was like a terror attack, I’d have feared for my life if I was there
@Michael Hanley: BLM yeah??? That community have today made a right bollox of that
Keep the schools closed
@Jonnie Marre: you must be a teacher
@Mattress Dick: no
@Mattress Dick: no the janitor so it’s easier like this.
Stick one up on the NI border !or are they too frightened to!
@Paul Jacob: there have been plenty of chech points on border roads during lockdowns. But sure rant away if it makes you happy
@Ger: nothing beats a good auld rant. Sure Mr Jacob must be feeling a lot better for it by now.
Most people ignore travel restrictions anyway so makes no difference what so ever. Guards only show their face for a day or 2 and back to normal. I am more worried about being attacked by a wolf than a garda checkpoint.
@Ralph: you’re talking nonsense, kast lock down the checks on the m4 were there for a month or more, 2hrs to get from liffey valley to maynooth most evenings
@Ralph: In my locality the Gardaí were a constant. A waste of their time and resources imo, and from those I met they seemed to feel the same – just doing their job and always mannerly and professional but there is no real quizzing of people etc. sure the driver just has to lie about where they are coming or going from & that’s the end of the matter!
They should start in blanchardstown
Gardaí doing their job, just like yesterday
Wonder if they will be interested in the marauding gangs of teenagers on bikes or will they be only interested in stopping vehicles to check their tax
Kildare village packed with northern and dublin reg cars. It’s all well and good bringing in restrictions but people are not listening.
Gardai are not doing what they’re supposed to. They don’t want to appear like the bad guy but guess what someone has to to get this under control. Until gardai are seen to be rigorously enforcing punishments on people blatantly doing what they’re not supposed to people are just going to carry on regardless.
I’m not advocating a police state just the gardai need to do their job. This thing of light policing needs to come to an end.
@Irish Sean:
What are you proposing, Sean? Batons drawn and just charge at the folks in those SC’s, is it?
Public service announcements on the subject are wall to wall, daily, on every media outlet. No person can claim lack of awareness, unless they’re totally…
What you are suggesting is not Ireland’s way of handling such situations. A softly, softly approach always produces an optimal result. Anything else, and a rent-a-crowd could make a guest appearance just to make some hay.
Best for every household member to take personal responsibility, to remind each other over breakfast the serious situation outside, suggesting that any retail therapy can wait.
We’re now in a potential life or death situation, but with vaccines being rolled out, normal life shd be back within 6 mths or so
Standing there and they just wave you are on so there is absolutely no point in having checkpoints. They do nothing!
Another day of panic shopping and mass hysteria created by the Tony,FF,FG >G government.
For about a week and then no sign of them whatsoever!
We’ll have gardai stopping people moving about and heading to work and I for one will need to travel 120km to check on elderly parents but needs must. Yet I was in a large shopping centre in the North East today it was chocca block even the security guards and shop manager seemed to be getting nervous just how many people were in. It wasn’t really safe queuing at the self service till. Clearly nobody gives a hoot and shoppers and shop managers will keep taking chances. Personally the gardai should be able to temporarily close retail outlets until the crowd’s leave instead of standing on the side of a road. It be far more productive
@Hugh Mc Donnell: Here in West Cork no signs of any restrictions. People on holidays walking around, the shops are filled up and families gathering to celebrate.
@Claudia Varell: much the same across the country so, it feels like Christmas eve the madness that that I witnessed. Kids in centre’s with no masks but the risk they took as they’ll meet granny and grandad over the next few days.
And que the moaning…..
@Jim Buckley Barrett: or queue the queues!
@NotMyIreland: cue, even.
@Earth Traveller: thanks
@Jim Buckley Barrett: Jim most of the traffic will be workers commuting, so in the chaos the chancers will get through the checkpoints amongst the delayed essential workers. Total waste of time literally. I’d approve of checkpoints if there was a total lockdown, easier to spot the chancers out on their jollies in that case.
@Jim Buckley Barrett: ¿qué?
@Alex Marquis: Cool. How do you do the Spanish upside down ?…?
Here we go again
Thought they were busy patrolling the border now that the uk has left and dont have the manpower for anything else including shutting down shebeans ha
Open the pubs
Waste of time
Hope it’s enforced, second lockdown was a joke. I live within 2km of a rural but popular beach in west Cork . Last lockdown it was all strangers there.
When does level 5 begin?
@Seosamh: after tonight parties
@Seosamh: level 5 restrictions came in almost 15 hours ago. Midnight last night
@barry moore: I thought 6pm tonight walked past a gym and hour ago full of people on machines
Come 8pm this evening the police will be out in force here with road blocks in France to make sure the curfew is respected. They’ll be up at the ski stations too.
Is 5 k in or pending. Saying different things in different places
@Colm Sliney: yes
@Colm Sliney: no
@Colm Sliney: maybe
@Frank Dwyer: I don’t know. Can you repeat the question?
Is 5k in now ???
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