NO PUBS WERE shut down by Gardaí while emergency legislation was in place that granted the force powers to issue closure orders for breaching lockdown rules.
The details come as a post-enactment report of the Criminal Justice (Enforcement Powers)(Covid-19) Act 2020, which was part of four pieces of legislation that underpinned the State’s powers to enforce public health measures during the pandemic.
According to the Gardaí and the Director of Public Prosecutions, there were no prosecutions of publicans initiated under the act. There were also no closure orders issued by Gardaí.
However, Gardaí have said that the legislation itself was of assistance, saying that it was a “significant deterrent” against the small number of licenced premises who may have attempted to break the rules.
Under the Act, the Gardaí were given the power to either issue immediate, emergency or temporary closures. Immediate closures would cause premises’ to close for the remainder of the day, while emergency closures could be longer if granted by a District Court.
Temporary closure orders could last up to seven days for a first offence or up to 30 days on a second or subsequent offence.
The Act itself is set to expire on 31 March, but due to the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions in recent weeks, the Department of Justice has said that there is no longer any reason for Gardaí to issue closure orders under the Act.
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