Clare County Council is appealing to all members of the public to act responsibly this August bank holiday weekend, as footage emerged on social media that appears to show people gathering in Kilkee in contravention of Covid-19 public health guidelines.
Gardaí made several arrests following a number of public order incidents. It’s understood that three people will appear in court at a later day.
Clare County Council is reminding everyone that the coronavirus pandemic has not gone away and that it is vital we all continue to adhere to physical distancing and other public health guidelines.
Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling, said: “Young people must remember that anyone can contract the virus. Furthermore, anyone not adhering to the guidelines risks transmitting the virus to more vulnerable members of their families and communities, for whom the consequences may be dire.
“There must be no repeat occurrence of the scenes shown on social media, in Kilkee or anywhere else in County Clare.”
A clean-up has been undertaken this morning to remove empty cans, plastic bags and other waste from the area at Kilkee.
On Facebook today, Local Councillor Cillian Murphy highlighted the scenes witnessed in Kilkee last night.
https://twitter.com/laurafennell2/status/1289748751297454086?s=20
Speaking to the Clare Herald this afternoon, Cllr Murphy said: “Shocking display of disrespect for the town of Kilkee, the community who live and visit it, for the emergency services who had to deal with a number of public order offences last night, our local council ground crew who were out at 6am this morning tidying up after these young people.
All of this behaviour would be unacceptable at the best of times, it’s truly shocking now in light of the C19 pandemic and it’s no surprise why we are seeing the majority of new COVID cases in this under 25 age group.
The local Gardaí have done a great job in extreme and trying circumstances but have been completely overwhelmed by the numbers involved. I have made a call earlier to ask for a significant increase in the resources being allocated to Kilkee tonight,” Cllr Murphy added.
It was a disgrace in Kilkee last night 😩
— Eimear O'Brien 🇺🇦 (@EimearOBrien169) August 2, 2020