LOCAL AUTHORITIES FOR Dublin, Limerick and Galway have installed more facilities for people heading into the cities this weekend – but some areas are also off limits.
Yesterday, Dublin City Council announced that it was installing 150 ‘portable’ toilets, and 130 extra bins. These would be maintained by council staff members, and would be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Galway City Council also announced that extra bins and portable toilets have been placed across the city, as part of a rollout of facilities that have taken place in recent weeks.
Additional bins and toilets have been installed at a number of locations, including at the Spanish Arch, Woodquay/ Waterside, and Raven Terrace ahead of this weekend.
Limerick City and County Council is providing extra public toilets, extra bins, and ‘an enhanced cleansing schedule’ ahead of the June Bank Holiday weekend.
Toilets will be available in Merchant’s Quay, Arthur’s Quay Park and Robert Byrne Park on Clancy Strand on a 24-hour basis. Fifteen additional large-volume bins will also be put at locations where people have been gathering and where other bins are full.
After members of the Oireachtas called on local authorities to manage public spaces better so that people can socialise outdoors, the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien yesterday announced €4 million in funding to help provide more facilities for people to use.
Grants have also been made available to businesses to create outdoor seating areas – ahead of pubs and restaurants reopening next week if they can seat customers outdoors.
Current public health guidelines advise that people shouldn’t gather in groups larger than 15 when outdoors. In a private garden, you can meet with up to two other households, or six people from multiple households.
Public areas are still open for people to gather – but areas such as the band stand in Dublin’s Stephen’s Green have been fenced off after people gathered on the historic structure. The park was also closed early than usual on Thursday night.
The Port of Cork is to fence off sections of the city quays this weekend, following large public gatherings recently. A statement said that this is being done “to accommodate the Port’s commercial shipping traffic in a safe and efficient manner”.
The areas that will be fenced off are: around any berthed commercial vessels; around plant or Port equipment generally stored on the quayside; around cargo stored on the quays. The fencing will be in place for the Bank Holiday weekend, and will remain in place until further notice.
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