Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said he counts himself very lucky after a mild dose of Covid-19.
Mr Harris told RTÉ’s The Late Late Show that he had the virus over the Christmas period, but was back to work after about two and a half weeks.
“Mild but unpleasant and no joke, my heart goes out to those who have suffered from it and I count myself as being very fortunate,” he said.
“I do count myself very lucky in that way (that it was not more severe).”
We have about 200-300 who are either suffering from Covid or self-isolating
Mr Harris said the force went through a “bad period” at the start of January with Covid-19, but added it is now 95 per cent operational, compared with 97 per cent in “normal times”.
“We have about 200-300 who are either suffering from Covid or self-isolating,” he said.
“We have good strong operational capabilities… and you can see the amount of work we are doing out on the ground.”
Border traffic
He said there has been a reduction in cross-Border traffic by between 10 and 12 per cent since the Garda were given powers to fine people travelling between counties without a “reasonable excuse”.
“That is significant, but we won’t know fully until we have seen a couple of weekends when you see accelerated amounts of movement,” he said.
“But travellers from anywhere, including Northern Ireland, must have an essential purpose for their journey.
“It is not a hard border insomuch as people can travel backwards and forwards if they can show an essential purpose.
“We work closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and if we are working close to the border we work in partnership with them.”
Experience
Mr Harris has been Garda Commissioner since September 2018.
He said he has had a “very, very positive experience” so far, halfway through his first term in the role.
“My contract said five years so whether I get a second term or not is probably for others to determine,” he said.
“What I want to be sure is that however long I am here that I have left the organisation stronger and in a better place.”
He previously served as deputy chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
“I think a lot of my experience in the Police Service of Northern Ireland, dealing with crisis and critical situations, has helped me and prepared me for this particular national crisis that we’re all facing,” he added.
