Senator: Vaccinate gardaí more quickly

Calls were made on Leeside this week for gardaí to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as soon as possible.

The calls came during a Cork City Joint Policing Committee (JPC) meeting on Monday with Senator Jerry Buttimer requesting that the JPC ask the HSE and Government to speed up the vaccination of members of An Garda Síochána.

He said it was important for the JPC to call on the HSE and Government to “facilitate the quick vaccination of our men of women of An Garda Síochana”.

The Fine Gael Senator said gardaí were putting themselves at risk in their job and a duty of care must be shown to them.

A vaccination starting date for An Garda Síochána is still unknown.

The Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Joe Kavanagh said he fully supported An Garda Síochána members being vaccinated quicker than intended as he called for a “speedy vaccination”.

“Gardaí are, more than most, walking into unknown situations on a daily basis. They spend their lives protecting us and we have a duty to protect them,” said the Lord Mayor.

Chief Superintendent Barry Polin said he “concurred with the views” expressed by JPC members at Monday’s virtual meeting about gardaí being vaccinated as soon as possible.