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There will be fixed garda checkpoints on 132 arterial roads across the country every day since the Level 3 restrictions go into effect at midnight tonight.
The gardaí will be visible on the road and at checkpoints under Operation Fanacht.
However, at a press conference this afternoonGarda Commissioner Drew Harris confirmed that the Gardaí will have no new powers to restrict the movements of people.
When asked if there is confusion about Level 3, he told reporters: “I don’t think there is confusion in the message about what Level 3 is, what I am saying today is Level 3 for us it means the following actions. Part of that is our checkpoints on the roads. “
He added: “People will not be able to travel around the country. It will be restricted to your county, you should only go to your workplace if absolutely necessary, otherwise your travels will be extremely difficult. “
Harris noted that the Gardaí “have many police powers” to maintain vigilance and fight crime.
The gardaí is restarting the operation as of midnight tonight. The measures will focus on supporting public compliance with public health measures.
There will be high visibility patrols by gardaí throughout Ireland focused on helping people comply with public health measures.
There will also be thousands of mobile checkpoints on secondary routes in cities and towns each week.
Speaking today, Commissioner Drew Harris said: “A Garda Síochána’s priority is keeping people safe. This will be a major police operation across the country with high visibility from Garda members to support public health measures.
“An Garda Síochána is encouraging people not to travel outside of their county unless it is for essential purposes,” he said.
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Harris said the Gardaí want to avoid the problem of “squinting windows” when people inform the Gardaí that their neighbors are disobeying public health guidelines.
However, Harris added that people should contact the gardaí if they see something that concerns them.
On RTÉ News at One, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said that at Level 3 it would be a crime to host an event and that other pre-existing legislation will support the Garda’s police efforts.
McEntee said garda’s focus will continue to be “engage, educate, encourage and enforce.”
– Additional information from Aoife Barry
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