17,000 Covid fines issued during pandemic - 2,700 for house parties
Gardaí are appealing to the public to adhere to public health advice and not to attend large social gatherings. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
Over 2,700 Covid fines have been given to people for attending or organising house parties.
Garda figures show almost 17,000 fines have been issued since they were introduced during the pandemic at a value of almost €2.3m.
Over 12,000 were for non-essential travel, over 700 for journeys to airport or ports and almost 300 were issued for not wearing a face covering.
An Garda Síochána are reminding people that organising or attending house parties is not only a breach of regulations but also a risk to the health of those in attendance and their loved ones.
They said those individuals are putting everyone's health and recovery from the pandemic at risk.
To date, 554 people have been issued a €500 fine for organising a house party while 2,159 have received a €150 fine for attending one.
Gardaí will be continuing checkpoints and high-visibility patrols at public parks and beauty spots across the country this weekend. Current restrictions mean that people cannot travel beyond 5km from their homes and this includes the distance travelled from the home to a location for exercise.
Where a driver is found to be outside of their 5km or travelling for a non-essential reason, both the driver and the adult passengers can be issued a fine. This also applies to groups of adults out cycling or walking beyond their 5km limit.
Speaking this evening, Deputy Commissioner Anne Marie McMahon thanked the vast majority of people who continue to comply with public health regulations.
"Unfortunately, despite the constant public health advice, we are still seeing people attending house parties and other large social gatherings. Going to such gatherings puts yourself, your loved ones, and everyone else you come into contact with after of getting Covid-19," said Deputy Commissioner McMahon.
"Everyone has a role to play in this. The best way of keeping safe this weekend is to stay home."
It is important to note that travel restrictions do not apply in the case of domestic violence or to escape a risk of harm to the person or to another person.
Gardaí continue to appeal to individuals who may have been the victim of an incident of sexual or domestic crime to contact them irrespective of whether the person may have been in breach of any public health regulations at the time.
