The Government has withdrawn proposals to fine people for drinking alcohol outside in groups.
They had been considering the fines after footage emerged on social media of large numbers of people having take-away pints on the streets of Dublin and Cork.
However, they’ve rowed back on the idea following opposition from Ministers at this morning’s Cabinet meeting.
Earlier:
A ban on two or more people meeting outdoors to drink takeaway alcohol will be introduced under plans to be considered by the Cabinet.
The move comes amid concern over street gatherings and a rise in Covid-19 cases in recent days.
Senior Government sources confirmed to The Irish Times that Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly would bring forward proposals to control on-street drinking.
It is understood the regulations will not prevent pubs from serving takeaway drinks, but instead prevent people from gathering outdoors to drink together in groups of two or more.
The regulations, which were being drafted on Monday night, will make it an offence – punishable by an €80 fine – for two or more people to gather outdoors where one of them is drinking alcohol.
The measure is intended to target the individuals rather than the pubs, which will still be able to sell takeaway drinks for people to consume at home.
A source said it was intended to make it easier for the Garda to break up large groups of people drinking together outside.
Christmas travel
It comes as a senior National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) official warned that Ireland could have “hundreds of thousands” of Covid-19 cases by January if large numbers of people come home for Christmas.
Current efforts to reduce virus cases are also well off-track, deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn indicated.
Dr Glynn criticised “a selfish minority” of people breaking public health rules by drinking in large numbers on city streets.
Calling on people to avoid non-essential travel over Christmas, Dr Glynn said: “We don’t want asymptomatic people, who are feeling completely well, coming home to this country to meet loved ones, to interact with their extended families across generations; younger people, older people and people with medical conditions.
“We don’t want thousands of people doing that, resulting in hundreds of thousands of cases in January and deaths and morbidity and mortality following on in January and February.”
