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The mayor of Cork has said that meetings like the one in the city on Saturday night “stop” any relaxation of the restrictions.
Large crowds were seen on social media videos in Cork City and several arrests were made.
A member of the Gardaí received minor injuries to his face during the incident.
Gardaí insisted that the majority of the public was “overwhelmingly compliant” with public health restrictions.
Speaking to The Opinion Line on 96FM on Monday, Mayor Joe Kavanagh said the meeting “goes against” calls for people not to gather in large groups.
Health experts said the scenes in the city were cause for concern.
Kavanagh said the retail and hospitality sectors have been starved and need support, adding that he understands that young people are frustrated and need a point of sale, but this is not the time.
He said “big meetings” like the one at the Grand Parade “don’t help the situation.”
And he added: “I am sorry for the Gardaí, they have lost their feet.”
The mayor said on Sunday the scenes were “absolutely embarrassing.”
Professor Mary Horgan, Infectious Diseases Consultant at Cork University Hospital, said: “There were crowds on Saturday night. That is the scenario in which the virus is transmitted and that is what we want to avoid.
“It’s never good to point the finger at people, but these are the basics we’ve all had to live with in the last few weeks.”
A video, filmed by Ali Hamou, went viral Saturday night showing the huge crowds at the Grand Parade.
He told 96FM that the number of people in the city on Saturday was “staggering” and that “most” were drunk and had been there since the afternoon.
Hamou told the show that around 1,000 people were on the street around 8 p.m.
He said he saw people drinking from cans and glasses. “But I can’t tell you where they come from.”
He added that the atmosphere in the city center has changed in the last two weeks.
He said that some people criticized him for putting the video on social media and that he only took it as a viewer.
“My only concern is that we are in the middle of a pandemic and anyone can be a carrier and infect others.”
Hamou told the Irish Examiner that there had been similar crowds the previous weekend.
“We will never get out of this confinement if we keep doing this,” he said.
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