The Cabinet are planning on targeting college parties in the next phase of their battle with COVID-19.
According to the Irish Mail on Sunday, the Government are 'particularly concerned' about college parties and what they may entail once the academic year begins.
The introduction of a series of fines may be the way to combat these parties, with the example of "endemic" parties on College Road in Cork being utilised.
Of course, there's no promise that a spate of college parties will come to fruition due to the nature of the upcoming academic year.
Due to blended learning and less time on campus, people may be less inclined to spend their time around their institutions. Students are being continually advised to not sign any agreements with regard to their accommodation as they won't know how often they're anticipated on campus.
Suffice to say, these future college parties that have the government worried may not even happen on a small scale.
These insights have come to the fore after the Cabinet walked back on measures that would have given the Gardaí extra powers to enter private residences and charge perpetrators.
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There was a view from the Cabinet that these measures were "too draconian" and were taken off the table. The sweeping regulations would mean that anybody flouting the new rules with regard to people in private dwellings could see them fined €2,500 or spend six months in prison. That was regardless of the amount of the people in the house. Be it seven or 70, the law was the same.
Either way, this continued insistence that private parties are the main issue surrounding the spread of COVID-19 in Ireland is nonsensical.
They are certainly a part of the problem, yet they're being treated as though the epicentre of the virus can be found in a terraced house on the North Circular Road.
It is nothing but more deflection tactics, as the youth are always the problem.
