Gardaí trying to minimise numbers getting coronavirus - but won't scale back duties

"This is a health issue, not a police issue, but to do police work our guards need to be healthy – that’s the real issue from a garda point of view."

Local garda commanders are scrambling to minimise the numbers of gardaí contracting Covid-19 and assist members with children in a bid to maintain policing services.

Senior officers told the Irish Examiner that unlike other organisations they can’t “scale down” their business, as criminals will not only continue to operate but will try to exploit the crisis.