Tougher controls may be introduced for pubs amid growing concern about large groups of revellers flouting Covid-19 public health measures. Even before the weekend, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and his senior management team were concerned that gatherings of revellers, in pubs and on streets outside, were posing a health risk. Garda sources who spoke to The Irish Times said they believed the HSA, which polices the smoking ban, should assume responsibility for policing Covid-19 measures in pubs. However, if the Garda was to continue carrying out inspections, new regulations were required so they could enforce the measures. The same sources said many pubs had followed the Covid-19 guidelines meticulously and a large number of publicans who were now allowed to open had chosen not to.

Source: The Irish Times July 06, 2020 00:00 UTC