Gardaí confirm 1,842 fines have been issued to people attending house parties

Gardaí have confirmed that 1,842 fines have been handed out to people attending house parties in breach of Covid-19 restrictions.

In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, Gardaí said that as of close of business on March 18, the following number of fines have been issued:

– 466 €500 fines for organising a house party and 1,842 €150 fines for attending a house party
– 11,072 €100 fines for non-essential travel
– 636 €500 fines for non-essential journeys to airports/ports – the total number of €100 and €500 fines for non-essential journeys to airports/ports is 1,011
– 269 fines of €80 each for not wearing a face covering
– 262 fines of €100 for non-essential travel by persons not ordinarily resident in the State

The statement added that ‘An Garda Síochána continues to find groups gathering (house parties, social gatherings, outdoor drinking, exercise etc.) in breach of regulations.

‘These are not just breaches of regulations, but are a risk to the individuals involved, their families and loved ones, and continue to put everybody’s health and the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic at risk.  Recent surveys have shown that the majority of people believe that they are doing the right thing, but the reality is that the level of casual contacts remains high.

‘An Garda Síochána will be continuing nationwide checkpoints and high visibility patrols at public amenities, parks and beauty spots across the country this weekend in support of public health regulations. Garda checkpoints apply to all roads users including cyclists.’

‘People are reminded that the 5km limit includes the distance travelled from their home to a location for exercise. In other words, you can’t travel more than 5km to a location to exercise.’

Today’s statement stressed that travel restrictions do not apply in the case of domestic violence or to escape a risk of harm, whether to the person or to another person.

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