Keep your windows closed if you have not had a rona test, advise Gardai.
This afternoon.
People who are travelling to and from Covid-19 tests are being urged not to open their window if they are stopped at a garda checkpoint en route
Instead they should display their test appointment confirmation through the window.
Gardaí have said that at least five unmasked drivers who were on their way to a testing centre rolled down their windows to talk to gardaí at one checkpoint near Ashbourne in Co Meath yesterday.
People traveling to tests urged not to open window at checkpoints (RTÉ)
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Surely the odds of a Guard catching anything outside from a person in a car are teeny teeny tiny?
What happened to exposure being 15 mins at 2 metres?
Better safe that sorry. This is close contact with someone on their way to or from a test so the perceived risk is obviously higher.
it’s a non-zero amount of risk.
How far do you think that Garda is from the passenger in that car in the photo above?
He’s outside and has a mask on.
And there for 15mins? Nope
Silly stuff
How is it silly to take extra precautions when having a face to face conversation, well within 2m, with someone heading for a test?
Exactly. The Gardai should insist on Hasmat suits at these checkpoints for their protection and drivers should drive up to a microphone to amplify their voice and explain their journey so Gardai can stand away from the car so as to further limit contact proximity. In fact, if we want to act to mitigate the spread of this terrifying virus, everyone should have to wear Hasmat suits 24 hours a day. That’s only sensible. I know I am now that this virus has become sooooo scary. Is it me or has this pandemic become even funnier since Christmas?
Ah it is silly man.
It’s alluding to people being able to catch it outdoors.
Which is really really rare.
It’s just making people more scared. People are bloody terrified. It’s a tiny risk.
Rare is not the same as impossible.
They are having close conversations with people who are suspected of being infected and who are not always wearing masks.
Seems a reasonable precaution to me.
Ah sure look Bertie.
We’re never gonna agree man. – at least on this anyway ;)
I really thought it had gone too far last year – it’s getting a bit mental now.
You ever have a conversation where you had to ask someone to “say it, don’t spray it”? When they can’t keep the distance this seems reasonable to me.
You think this is mental? Check out the BBC guide to riding during Covid.
https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-53736087
Ha! Mental alright.
“Say it don’t spray it” – I’ve a mate who’s like Roy Hattersly’s spitting image puppet FFS
Funnily enough, my cousin was stopped for speeding last week. The garda came up to his window, which the cousin had wound down, came closer than 1m to show the speed on the gun, no mask on, at which point the cousin insisted the garda don a mask and move away 2M. He did. Then he asked for the driver license and the garda was about to take it when it was noticed he had no disposable gloves on, so off the garda had to go back to his car to get a pair.
And that was in an area that there were high numbers of gardai out of work as they had covid.
Not the brightest, are our Gardai.
Or just the one lad in this anecdote.
Some of them are very well educated and decent people, tbf.
I know that. But there’s a few that just haven’t an iota. The area was a high Covid in Garda area. These are the people that would enforce lockdowns etc. and would have received instructions on what was legal etc. as well as being aware of the outbreaks in their own ranks. Shouldn’t have to have been reminded for mask and gloves.
True. Some haven’t an ounce of cop on for all their education. Think that applies to every walk of life.
But they shouldn’t need to be reminded of the basics in the middle of a pandemic that’s been going on for nigh on a year.
Our supermarket checkout people have to deal with me. With you. With the twenty people behind you in the queue. Day in, day out.
With four maybe five thousand a people a day.
Do it for them.
This !
+2021
The new variant has changed everything.
great time to drink and drive
“Meath Crime Prevention Officer Dean Kerins said gardaí simply want to raise awareness among motorists, who he said are doing everything right otherwise.”
Officer Kerins looking for a cushy job in the phoenix park.
I heard a couple of suggestions on the radio today.
1. Download a voice to text app (such as Live Transcribe for Android (not sure for Google). Hold the screen against the window so the Garda can see it and say what you need
2. Have cards prepared with for example From [hometown]; To [regular location]; For [reason]
Best be safe these days and overcautious for a while
Nah. We should all be given them to and from displays like the buses have. Imagine ”Chipper’, ‘Ma’s Gaff’ and ‘Lidl’ on your roof in bright neon yellow..
I was stopped on clanbrassil st checkpoint and the Garda had no mask so I kept my windows closed and he tapped on it, I said I can hear him fine, and he tapped again and pointed down with his finger, I rolled it down a tiny bit and he got irate and told me firmly to roll it down. it all depends who ya get. everyones different. some gardai have masks and are fine with the window up. I think everyone just presumes they don’t have the virus until they actually get a positive test, and thats why we are where we are now