Enjoy the good weather within 5km of home.

That’s the warning from An Garda Síochána this weekend, as milder temperatures and pockets of spring sunshine are expected to tempt a lockdown-weary public out into Cork’s parks and walkways… and possibly further afield.

Gardaí will be continuing high visibility patrols at public amenities, parks and beauty spots across the country this weekend and have warned that illegal parking at such locations can result in cars being towed and impounded.

“An Garda Síochána is again advising the public of the need to plan their activities over the weekend to take account that people are only allowed to exercise within 5km of their home.” said a Garda spokesperson.

“People are reminded that the 5km limit includes the distance travelled from their home to a location for exercise. In other words, you can’t travel more than 5km to a location to exercise.

High pressure will bring dry & settled weather this weekend.

Tonight➡️Mainly dry. Some patchy rain in the west.
Sat.➡️Mix of cloud & sunny spells. The odd shower in places. 🌦️
Sun.➡️A foggy start, but sunny spells breaking through for most. 🌥️

Check out our video forecast 👇 pic.twitter.com/gjB3yJkxH4

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 26, 2021

“The public should also be aware that if a driver is found to be in breach of the non-essential travel regulations that not only can the driver be fined, but their adult passengers as well.”

This is also the case for adults in groups undertaking activities such as cycling or walking – every adult in such a group can be fined.

“When visiting amenities within 5km of your home please park legally. Illegal parking can hinder access by emergency services and could put lives at risk. As we saw during previous weekends, people who illegally park are at risk of having their cars towed and impounded.” added the Garda spokesperson.

Almost 10,000 Covid fines have now been issued 

“To date, An Garda Síochána has issued approximately 9,800 Covid-19 fines across the range of all Covid-19 breaches.”

As of close of business yesterday (February 25th, 2021), 7,566 €100 fines have been issued for non-essential travel, with 341 €500 fines for non-essential journeys to airports and ports.

It’s no time for a sneaky barbecue in the back garden either; 277 €500 fines have been issued for organising a house party and 1,109 €150 fines have been issued to guests for attending a house party.

A total of 187 fines of €80 each have been handed to people for not wearing a face covering.