A warning has been issued to the public to avoid planning house parties for St Patrick's Day as it will result in arrests or hefty fines.
This comes after they have received reports of a 'COVID hoax rave' along with other gatherings being organised for March 17 even though the nation is currently in a Level 5 lockdown.
House parties during this stage of the COVID pandemic could lead to fines or prosecutions under current government legislation.
Assistant General Secretary for the Department of the Taoiseach, Liz Canavan spoke of these parties at Government buildings earlier today.
She said: "It won’t be possible to gather with friends and there’ll be no parades.
"We are hearing reports of house parties, street parties and other parties being arranged.
“We want to remind you that no organised activity is permitted under the current level of restrictions.
"Anyone found to be in breach may face a fine or prosecution.”
Canavan highlighted that the nation has made great progress during the Level 5 lockdown but she fears that St. Patrick’s Day celebrations could ruin that.
She said: "It is worth remembering that while outdoors is safer than indoors, it is not risk free.
“Try to stick to the two metre rule and wear a mask if you can’t do that or it’s crowded.
“We are making such steady progress...However, we must make sure that we don’t experience a fourth surge of the virus before the benefits of the vaccine can be experienced.”
This comes after an illegal lockdown rave for the Dublin and Kildare areas has been planned for St Patrick's Day with organisers claiming that COVID is a hoax.
The bio of the account read: "Paddy's Day lockdown rave in the Kildare/Dublin area 17 March 2021. Tickets are €20. Let's not have another miserable Paddy's Day, let's party hard."
The event, which is being promoted on Instagram, claims that the location will be revealed 12 hours before it's due to start on March 17.
Its been creating buzz on social media, with a very split reaction to its creation. Those who message them to purchase a ticket are asked to send money via Paypal, after which they will then be added to a Whatsapp group.
The account previously uploaded stories slamming those who were against the rave and also called COVID a "hoax".
Promoting the event, the account said: "Who's sick of lockdown? Wednesday 17 March Paddy's Day lockdown rave will take place in an undisclosed location in the Dublin/Kildare area. 12 hours before the event starts the location will be revealed. No under 17s if we think you look under 17 you will be refused entry. Doors open at 3pm and the event finishes early hours the next morning."
The fine that can be issued by gardai for organising a house party or illegal event is €500, while every person caught in attendance or heading to attend the event can be fined €100.
For the latest news and breaking news visit dublinlive.ie/news.
Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.
Follow us on Twitter @DublinLive - the official Dublin Live Twitter account - real news in real time.
We're also on Facebook/dublinlive - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the capital.
