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Garda checkpoints will be established throughout Co Donegal as tighter Covid-19 restrictions take effect from midnight.
It is part of a garda operation “focused on supporting public compliance” with public health measures, after stricter restrictions were announced as the county moves to Tier 3 of the government’s Living With Covid plan.
Cross-border checkpoints in cooperation with the PSNI will also be set up at specific locations.
Donegal has overtaken Dublin as the area with the highest rate of cases, with the county now with 148.2 cases per 100,000 residents.
Gardaí says Operation Fanacht is designed to support compliance with public health measures that are imposed under the Level 3 designation.
They assure that there will be a high level of visibility of the members of the force, “particularly with regard to social distancing and gathering in large groups in the facilities and open spaces.”
Garda checkpoints will be established throughout the county as people are advised not to travel outside of Donegal unless absolutely necessary.
Officers in neighboring Sligo and Leitrim will patrol so-called ‘destination’ public services and open spaces in those counties in support of the Donegal operation.
An Garda Síochána says that Operation Navigation, which focuses on compliance with public health regulations by licensed establishments, will continue throughout the country.
In a statement, Deputy Police and Security Commissioner John Twomey said: “We all have an individual and collective role in protecting ourselves, our families, our communities and the most vulnerable. A Garda Síochána will do its part to maintain to safe people. Operation Fanacht is designed to work with communities to support public health measures. “
Deputy Commissioner Twomey said the local gardaí will continue to be available to support local people and communities, “particularly the most vulnerable in our society during this time.”
He said the Gardaí are “fully aware of the impact that increased restrictions can have on those who are victims of domestic abuse and do not feel safe in their homes.”
He said, “If you are in danger, call 999 at any time. If you feel you are not in immediate danger and need advice and assistance, you can visit or call your local Garda station and ask to speak to a Garda in private.”
Meanwhile, Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn and his Northern Ireland counterpart Dr Michael McBride issued a joint statement this afternoon following discussions on efforts to reduce travel between Co Donegal and North Ireland.
They said that, “Given the current number of new cases in Donegal and neighboring Northern Ireland areas in Derry, Strabane and Fermanagh, we would call on everyone to avoid all but necessary cross-border travel. Also It is recommended that employers on both sides of the border make every effort to make it easier for employees to work from home as much as possible.
“We are aware that for those who live in the border areas this will not be good news, but we must prevent further spread of this virus and we can only do so by working together to protect each other.”
The issue of the need for continued cooperation between Northern Ireland and the Republic was also discussed at today’s meeting.
The CMOs jointly called on the public to continue to follow public health advice and, due to the high level of Covid-19 cases in young people in both Donegal and Derry, they appealed to adolescents and people in their 20s. and 30 years to reduce their social contacts.
Donegal people prepare to move to Level 3 restrictions
The General Manager of Letterkenny University Hospital called on people to abide by the guidelines.
While there are currently no capacity issues at the hospital and contingency and escalation plans are in place, Sean Murphy said that if there is a significant increase in hospitalizations it could have a serious impact on other vital health services provided at the hospital and I don’t want to make that happen.
As some companies in the hotel sector prepare to close their doors under the new regulations, one company has gone one step further and voluntarily moved to Level 4.
The Gallen family say it was a moral decision to close one of their Ballybofey hotels, Villa Rose, and to keep Jackson’s Hotel open only to essential workers.
General Manager Philip Lee said there are so many asymptomatic cases in the area that they decided to do this to protect their staff and clients.
At Lifford, John Martin, who runs a tire and motor service in the border city, is concerned about the impact of restrictions on the business he gets from both sides of the border.
But he said he hopes people get the message and abide by the guidelines.
Request an island-wide response to the pandemic
Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty has called for greater interaction between administrations on both sides of the border as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime, the Donegal TD reiterated his party’s call for an island-wide approach to the virus.
Rep. Doherty said: “We need to see much more commitment at the executive and government levels. There is interaction, but it is not united.
On the same show, SDLP Mayor of Derry Brian Tierney said the case numbers in his county are “very worrying.”
He urged people not to travel from Donegal to Derry this weekend and to avoid all non-essential travel across the border.
He said he is “concerned” by reports that people have organized buses to travel from parts of Donegal to the “wet bars” in Derry, which remain open.
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