PEOPLE are still crossing the Irish border every day for work despite strict lockdown restrictions in place in Ireland.
Northern Irish workers are apparently still making their way south by the thousands even though Level Five restrictions in Ireland prohibits anyone from travelling between counties.
According to the Mail on Sunday, dozens of cars with Northern Ireland plates were seen parked on the side of motorway slip roads and on dual carriageways on the southern side of the border last week.
Some were seen car-pooling together while one worker was even spotted parking up and hopping on a mini bus to head further into the Republic.
Jack Lambert - a consultant in infectious disease at the Mater and Rotunda Hospitals - warned that Ireland needs to implement "effective" Covid checkpoints across the border to prevent further lockdown breaches.
Jack Lambert - a consultant in infectious disease at the Mater and Rotunda Hospitals - stressed that Ireland must impose checkpoints to stop illegal breaches of lockdown"There are thousands of people coming here every day from the North, getting into buses and cars together, mixing family groups," Mr Lambert said.
"I don't know if they're wearing masks in the vehicles but at that distance, they may not be effective.
"But they're travelling south and they're mixing with the community. People say where does this mysterious community transmission come in from in many positive cases, well this is one answer."
"I know this is going on, the Government know it's going on but no action is taken. Instead of having a tier 5 lockdown, the Government would do better to look at this kind of behaviour, put checkpoints on the border and stop this traffic.
"I am calling on the Government to come up with some kind of comprehensive plan for how we screen for Covid at ports, airports and our borders."
