Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said that people can travel more than 5km to pick up takeaway food but it must be "within reason" and "within the vicinity of their home".
McEntee's comments came after Gardaí revealed that three people
had been fined earlier this week for travelling 80km from Meath to Ringsend in Dublin "for a burger." Speaking on Today with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio One today, McEntee said that "I live in the country and there’s a lot of people who don’t even have a shop within 5km of where they live. The rules are very clear, you’re to stay within the 5km limit for exercise. But if you need to get food, whether it’s dropping into the shops to get smaller items, whether it’s doing a bigger shop or even if it’s getting a takeaway, people are allowed to do that."
Speaking about the aforementioned case from earlier this week, McEntee said: "There are plenty of places in Co. Meath where people can buy burgers. People travelled 80km to the other side of a different county. It’s not necessary, it’s not essential travel."
29 people in total have been fined since a new fixed charge was introduced on Monday. The current
5km limit is scheduled to remain in place until the end of January at the earliest.
(header pic: Shutterstock)
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