Irish Police Freed to Arrest Easter Travelers on Virus Fear

(Bloomberg) --

Ireland handed its police sweeping powers to limit travel as part of its efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus as the nation heads into the Easter holiday.

The government gave the police powers to arrest people traveling more than 2 kilometers from their home or on non-essential business. If convicted, they could face as long as six months in prison or a 2,500 euro ($2,714) fine. Until to the introduction of the new powers, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar had asked people to restrict their travel, but police had few failsafe means of enforcing compliance.

The regulations will allow police “to have these in their back pocket for the occasion when they may be need,” Health Minister Simon Harris said on RTE Radio on Wednesday. “We’re expecting it to be used very sparingly.”

The government has effectively locked down Ireland, closing non-essential business to combat the outbreak. The Easter weekend is traditionally a major holiday in Ireland, and with more than half the number of diagnosed coronavirus cases in Dublin, in the east, the government is urging people not to travel to holiday homes, which are largely in the west.

Ireland reported 36 new coronavirus-linked deaths on Tuesday. That was the highest one-day fatalities figure, although the number of new cases fell for the third day in a row. About 5,700 people have been diagnosed with the virus so far in Ireland, with 210 dead.

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