By Joleen Murphy
A priest in Cavan has been fined for celebrating mass inside a church with people present.
Fr P.J. Hughes in Mullahoran was given the fixed penalty notice of 500 euro for breaching Covid-19 restrictions.
He said he "will exercise his constitutional right even though people are complaining".
Former chair of the now-disbanded Oireachtas Committee on Covid-19, Michael McNamara, says there should be greater clarity on what is allowed under level 5.
"I think that we have to find a way to accommodate people doing what makes their life meaningful.
"For a group of people in this state, being able to go to mass, or mosque or synagogue or church is important to who they are and gives their life meaning, and we have to be able to accommodate that."
An Garda Síochána continues to advise people to stay home and avoid large gatherings and say such events put those attending, and everyone they meet afterwards, at risk of catching Covid-19.
To date, An Garda Síochána has issued approximately 15,358 Covid-19 fines across the range of all Covid-19 breaches.
A recent statement published by An Garda Síochána says; "these are not just breaches of regulations, but are a risk to the individuals involved, their families and loved ones, and continue to put everybody’s health and the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic at risk.
"Recent surveys have shown that the majority of people believe that they are doing the right thing, but the reality is that the level of casual contacts remains high."
Photo credit: Pexel Images/Julia Volk
