Muireann Duffy
Gardaí have recorded 13 suspected incidents of people breaching Level 5 travel restrictions since the county tightened Covid-19 measures on October 21st.
Data on Garda operations published today shows that 132 checkpoints on major roads and about 1,000 checkpoints on minor or secondary roads have been operational daily over the past two weeks.
As part of Operation Fanacht, Gardaí are enforcing the 5km travel limit with people being asked to stay at home unless their journey is essential.
Information from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) showed that traffic volumes for private cars are down by 50 per cent compared to pre-Covid levels.
In relation to businesses, Gardaí said there have been 11 suspected incidents of retailers failing to comply with the updated restrictions since October 31st.
Under Level 5, all non-essential retailers must close, with only the sale of essential items, outlined in the Government’s Living with Covid-19 Plan permitted.
Crime rates
Gardaí also stated that some forms of crime such as burglary have noted decreases, primarily due to people spending more time in their homes.
There was also only one case of a person failing to comply with the wearing of face covering since the end of October, with a file being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Speaking today Deputy Commissioner of Policing and Security, John Twomey said: "It is very welcome to see such continuing high levels of compliance with the Level 5 public health guidelines.
“We want to thank the public for this. We know it is not easy, but it is vital that we all work together to maintain this in the weeks ahead to further reduce the spread of Covid-19.
"Compliance among retail premises also remains very high. This is appreciated. However, there are still some retailers who are potentially in breach of the regulations. We will continue to focus our attention on those retailers.”
"I would like to remind the public that Gardaí around the country are here to help at this difficult time, particularly those who are vulnerable or feel isolated.
“If you know of someone who, for instance, needs their shopping done, their pension collected or checked on please contact your local Garda station,” he added.
