Fears are growing that a huge street party in the centre of the capital which saw hundreds of people crammed into a small area without masks could act as a super spreader of the coronavirus.
Four arrests were made as gardaí from the Public Order Unit and Dog Unit were involved in attempts to disperse large crowds drinking in and around Dublin’s South Inner City.
Reports claimed that up to 1,000 people converged on the area on what was one of the hottest days of the year.
Footage of the mass gathering in Dublin showed many people tightly packed together and drinking and almost no one wearing a facemask.
The country’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan tweeted that he was "absolutely shocked" by the crowds that gathered in the centre of the capital.
Dr Holohan said the scenes in the South Great George's Street, Exchequer Street, and South William Street area were "like a major open air party".
“This is what we do not need when we have made so much progress”, he said.
While Dr Honohan initially faced an online backlash after his comments, many commentators agreed with him when they saw the sheer numbers involved in the mass gathering.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar backed the CMO and said he was “disappointed” that health regulations were ignored.
He said: “It’s very disappointing the scenes we saw in Dublin yesterday. We are encouraging people to be outdoors but the rules still apply
“People shouldn’t be meeting up in groups of more than three households and there should be social distancing and I would certainly share the CMO’s concerns in relation to that.
“But I would say that on June 7 we see outdoor hospitality reopening and I think what we’re going to see on our streets is something a bit more organised.”
Mr Vardkar refused to be drawn as to whether or not gardai should have broken up the gathering.
He added: “The Guards have to make a judgement call as to the most appropriate policing response. That is their role and they have done that in the past and I know they will do that in the future.”
Dublin City Council has also added this statement: "Dublin City Council staff were on hand this morning on a number of streets in the city to deal with a significant amount of waste left behind overnight. Gatherings of this size and nature are contrary to public health regulations.
"These gatherings are not planned events and as such, Dublin City Council has very few powers to deal with them. We encourage all citizens and businesses to act in a responsible manner and adhere to public health regulations. Dublin City Council will review the situation this week and discuss it with our stakeholders."
.jpg?w=600)
