GARDAÍ WILL BE conducting checkpoints across Kildare, Laois and Offaly to ensure that the new restrictions announced today are being adhered to. 

Speaking at a special press briefing this evening, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that gardaí will be out in force for the next two weeks and that people should expect checkpoints. 

Donnelly said that the Government will also be bringing in regulations to give gardaí the powers they had during the first lockdown to detain people for breaching the regulations. 

The regulations are expected to come into force on Sunday night. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin this evening announced that the three counties are to have restrictions imposed on them. Over 60 of the 98 new confirmed cases are from Kildare, Laois and Offaly. 

The most recent statement from An Garda Síochána confirmed its Covid powers were used 320 times during over a million interactions with the public.

To date, in 110 of these incidents, a charge or summons has issued. Most incidents involve a single individual but some have resulted in charges against multiple people.

To date, in 29 of the 320 incidents the DPP directed no charge. The remainder continue to be under criminal investigation.

Gardaí said that, on 2,177 occasions, officers had initially stopped people for not adhering to Covid-19 guidelines but found people to be breaking the law in other ways such as drink-driving or drug possession.