They say the coronavirus doesn't discriminate - even boorish Prime Minsters can get it - but it is especially cruel to certain vulnerable pockets of society. If you're old. If you're homeless. If you live in a nursing home. If you live in direct provision. If you're any of those things, you're vulnerable.
Ireland's property owners are at a distinct advantage in keeping the disease. Those of us who own two houses are even luckier. Many people will know older family friends who headed for their holiday homes as soon as this crisis began in order to maintain distance from family and friends. Now with good weather promised for the long weekend, people in touristy towns have done everything they can do to tell everyone else to stay home this weekend.
The Guards have their checkpoints in place and have said they'll be jailing and fining people who disobey the call to stay 2km from home.
Checkpoints have been set up by gardai on main roads and motorways ahead of the Easter weekend. Fines and prison terms of up to six months can be imposed on people who fail to obey rules restricting movement from now until Easter Sunday | Read more: https://t.co/9BC8wioqxx pic.twitter.com/EV54igXBMz
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) April 8, 2020
Today Garda commissioner Drew Harris held a press conference stating that checkpoints would be in place across the country for the next four days. Members of the public stepping outside of that 2km radius will be sent home or face fines or jail.
“Your home is your place of residence but if you have temporary residence somewhere else, that is also a place of residence, so if you’re at your holiday home now, you need to stay there. It is now your place of residence.
“If you are thinking of travelling there, don’t. That is not an essential journey. If you have travelled to your holiday home now, that’s where you are.”
On social media we can see that the checkpoints are already in place.
Very active #Garda checkpoint near here stopping everyone including cyclists. #StayHome
— mairead ni nuadhain (@maireadninuadha) April 8, 2020
Gardaí from DMR carrying out an early morning checkpoint this morning, 8th April, in the Castleknock area, Dublin 15. #StayAtHome #Washyourhands#SocialDistancing pic.twitter.com/Fj5EDFM0sL
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) April 8, 2020
Of course, for a generation of young Irish people, the very idea of owning a holiday home is surreal.
People out here affording holiday homes when an entire generation can’t afford either of those nouns separately
— Púca (@pucamusic) April 8, 2020
<em>Photo credit: abd / Shutterstock.com</em>
