Emergency Covid powers to be extended beyond February

Emergency powers allow gardaí to impose penalties for non-compliance with Covid-19 restrictions. Picture: Dan Linehan

Emergency powers that allow gardaí to impose penalties for non-compliance with Covid-19 restrictions look set to be extended beyond February.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has sought Cabinet approval to pull together four pieces of emergency legislation into one bill, to be passed by the Oireachtas by December 16.

A government spokesperson said the new law was required to "ensure current public health measures can remain in place and the State can react to the pandemic".

"There will be an end date for the powers in this new legislation, similar to the outgoing emergency legislation. The Government will not look to have these additional powers for longer than necessary," the spokesperson added.

Covid rates across the country remain high, with a further 3,578 cases of the virus confirmed yesterday. 

The number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 now stands at 520 — the highest recorded figure since March of this year.

Hospitals under 'sustained pressure'

The Government has been told the hospital system is under "sustained pressure" and even in optimistic scenarios, the number of people in intensive care units is unlikely to fall below 50 until December at the earliest.

On the extension of emergency powers, Sinn Féin's health spokesperson David Cullinane said: "We will have to study whatever legislation is proposed. The problem with the current legislation is that regulations can be crafted with no scrutiny. 

"I support public health advice, but I'm not going to hand a blank cheque to the Government."

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy stressed that TDs had been told the extension of powers to February would be the final time the Government sought such permission.

"We would obviously have to see the legislation, but we can't keep going from wave to wave of this virus with the same strategy," she said. "We're saying we're not going backwards, but there's no other strategy being put forward."