Gardaí fine 7 men who travelled outside 5k to rent house for Kinsale drinks party
More 20km, Flouting Beach Covid Driven Than Who Man On A Met Garryvoe Near Had Duty Gardai Rules
Kinsale gardaí have issued seven fines to a group of men for breaching Covid regulations.
Gardaí witnessed the seven men arrive into Kinsale in two taxis. They then went into a shop and purchased a large amount of alcohol.
Gardaí spoke to the group who informed them they had travelled to Kinsale to rent out a property and have drinks.
Each of the seven men were fined and they returned to Cork city.
Cork gardaí have also fined a driver for breaking the 5km travel restrictions twice in one day.
Midleton gardaí were carrying out a checkpoint near Garryvoe beach to stop people from breaking the Covid-19 travel rules.
They spoke to a driver who had travelled more than 20km to the beach without a reasonable excuse.
The man agreed to leave the area and return straight home, avoiding being fined.
Later that day, gardaí continued to Ardnahinch beach where they met the same driver once again.
The man received a fine for breaking travel restrictions for a second time.
Under level 5 restrictions, people are required to stay at home except for travel for work, education, or other essential purposes.
More than 30 fines were issued by gardaí to drivers in breach of travel restrictions in the West Cork Division on Sunday.
The Central Statistics Office’s Staying Local Indicator shows that 65.3% of Cork’s population stayed within 10km of home for the week ending January 15.
An estimated 66.2% of the population stayed local (within 10k of home) during the week ending 15 January 2021https://t.co/o5jKdcDdUP #CSOIreland #Ireland #COVIDIreland #Health pic.twitter.com/Fdof8UItha
— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) January 25, 2021
Chief Superintendant Con Cadogan of the West Cork Garda Division has previously said gardaí were working hard to enforce the 5km travel limit as part of wider public health efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Gardaí have reported numerous incidents since level 5 restrictions started where people have been found to be in breach of the regulations when stopped at checkpoints.
Examples in Cork include people gathering in large numbers at Corrin Hill near Fermoy, with gardaí ordering them to leave the area.
Chief Supt Cadogan said: “The message is very simple. If you are beyond your 5km without a reasonable excuse, you will be fined.”