Gardaí said there was a very high level of compliance with public health guidelines.
Gardaí dealt with 144 incidents, including house and street parties across Ireland, over the Easter weekend as part of Operation Fanacht, which was aimed at ensuring compliance with travel restrictions and public health guidelines to combat the spread of Covid-19.
Gardaí used their enforcement powers seven times over the Bank Holiday weekend when people, despite receiving a number of warnings, did not adhere to the Covid-19 guidelines.
Throughout every day of Operation Fanacht, in place from last Wednesday (8 April) until midnight on Easter Monday, An Garda Síochána conducted 150 permanent checkpoints on major routes, over 500 shorter and mobile checkpoints, as well as a large number of high visibility patrols at tourist locations, and parks and beaches.
During this time, Garda members interacted with hundreds of thousands of people, and said that the vast majority were adhering to the public health guidelines.
But among the 144 Covid-19 related incidents, Gardaí dealt with offences such as street parties, house parties, gatherings beyond the family unit and non-essential travel.
Among the incidents where arrests were made, Garda members will consult with the Director of Public Prosecutions on the decision to charge individuals.
“There was a very high level of compliance with the public health guidelines over the Easter weekend,” said Commissioner Drew Harris.
“I want to thank the public for that. This has helped saved lives. We now need people to continue that high level of compliance over the coming weeks. Working together, we can reduce the spread of Covid-19.”
“Regrettably, there was a small minority who did not adhere to the guidelines or other legislation and Garda members had no option but to use the regulations or other legislation,” Harris added.
“This demonstrates the need for the regulations not only from an enforcement point of view, but also to support those who are willingly living their lives in line with the public health guidelines.”
