Off-license opening hours would be significantly reduced under government plans to crack down on house parties and large social gatherings.
The measure was discussed at the special Cabinet meeting on the Covid-19 pandemic, where ministers agreed to impose Level 3 restrictions across the country.
The proposal to curb opening hours is aimed at further limiting alcohol social gatherings, which have been linked to the spread of Covid.
Three ministers raised the possibility of reducing the opening hours outside the license.
The Minister of Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, was the first to raise the issue and was supported by the Minister of Justice, Helen McEntee, and the Minister of State for Roads, Hildegarde Naughton.
Ms Humphreys’ Monaghan constituency has seen a recent spike in Covid-19 and on Monday had the second highest number of new cases per 100,000 people in the country.
Ms. Naughton is a minister from Galway, where a large gathering of drinking students in the city recently made national headlines.
The minister was furious about the street party at the Arco de España and said something should be done about the role licenses play in these types of events.
The meeting noted that reducing off-license opening hours can also help pubs and restaurants, as people are more likely to go to regulated venues rather than house parties.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris suggested yesterday that Gardaí could come to an area where there is a house party.
“There is a constitutional protection of the home,” he said.
“Having gardaí placed outside your house during a house party will really dampen the mood.”
Gardaí today has 132 checkpoints on major arterial routes across the country to ensure that people meet Level 3 lockdown guidelines to stay in their counties.
Harris warned of traffic jams and reduced flow on freeways when he announced Operation Fanacht. More than 2,000 officers will be on duty related to Covid-19, working on a 12-hour roster introduced at the start of the pandemic, costing an estimated 15 million euros in overtime if the operation continues through the end of the year.
However, the Government has not forcibly granted additional powers to enforce the guidelines.
Instead, gardaí is operating a policing model by consent, and people are being urged to adhere to the guidelines to protect themselves and those around them from Covid-19.
“Surveillance is an extension of good citizenship,” said the commissioner at Garda headquarters in Phoenix Park, Dublin.
Officers at the stops will focus on “the three Es”: engaging, educating and encouraging.
While the commissioner admitted that a motorist will be able to continue, even if the agents stop him and the officers ask him to turn around, he said it would be “a silly choice.”
Harris said that often the kind of people who do this “have made bad decisions elsewhere” and could be dealt with by other powers.
He said the focus will also continue to be on community policing, as well as dealing with organized crime during the Level Three period across the country.
The commissioner suggested that no additional powers are needed for now.
