New Donegal hotline will allow people to alert Gardaí to illegal gatherings
12:18 Tuesday, 04 May 2021
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A special hotline has been set up in Donegal to allow people to tell Gardaí about illegal gatherings and parties.
It has been established by officers in Letterkenny, which has the second highest Covid-19 incidence rate in the country.
Over the weekend, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tony Holohan drew criticism in the county for saying ‘the dogs in the street’ what was going on.
Donegal TDs met with Public Health Officials and the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to discuss the situation over the weekend and there was an acknowledgement that the vast majority of people in Donegal were complying with guidelines.
Speaking to Highland Radio on Tuesday, Garda Gráinne Doherty referred to birthday parties, beach parties, gatherings after funerals, and gatherings of secondary school students as areas of concern.
On Sunday, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said the incidence of the virus in Donegal was close to 300 per 100,000, while the national rate was 127 per 100,000.
On Saturday, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly called a meeting between NPHET and a number of Donegal politicians in an attempt to bring down the case numbers in the county.
Last week, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said that even the dogs on the street could see there were examples of people not complying with the Covid-19 guidelines in the county.
An overnight camp was discovered on Saturday morning at the beach with Gardai called to intervene.
It comes following comments from Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan who said on Friday that Covid-19 is circulating at dangerous levels in Donegal with issues of non-compliance with public health guidelines evident.
An urgent meeting was subsequently held between Donegal Oireachtas members, the Chief Medical Officer and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to discuss how to curb the spread of the virus in the county.
Local Councillor Micheal Cholm MacGiolla Easbuig says such gatherings as witnessed in Magheraroarty over the weekend undermine attempts within Donegal to comply with Covid regulations:
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