Gardaí in Cork stopped a driver who produced a letter claiming he was employed by a construction company on essential building works.
After enquiries were made, this letter proved to be a fake.
Due to the risk of Covid spreading, Gardaí can now punish breaches of the 5km travel restriction by issuing spot fines of €100 under new rules that were introduced in recent days.
The new regulations allow Gardaí to fine people who travel more than 5km from their home and those who refuse to comply with a direction to turn back.
However, there are some allowances given by Gardaí for breaking the 5km rule, one of which is if an individual is travelling to or returning home from work that's deemed to be an essential service.
After stopping this motorist in Cork, Gardai enquiries revealed that the letter was fake.
A €100 fine was issued and the driver was asked to return to Waterford.
Yesterday, Gardai in Cork caught three separate people that were found to be in breach of the 5km rule.
Officers on duty on the M8 at Glanmire stopped three vehicles including one motorist who had travelled more than 200km.
A garda spokesperson listed out the following offences found;
- Man travelled over 200 kms to collect a puppy as a present for someone.
- Man that sold an item privately on social media and drove 70km to deliver it.
- Man travelled over 70 km for an essential journey. However, the passenger he had with him, from a different household, was just along for the spin. That is not essential and the passenger was fined.
A garda spokesperson added: "Fines were issued to all three people for these incidents. Everyone must play their part during this challenging time. Before you get in you car, ask yourself, is this essential? By limiting our movements and contact with each other, we can help stop the spread of Covid-19."
