A few days ago three men set off by car from Co Meath. and made it as far as Ringsend in central Dublin, where they were stopped at a checkpoint at the Sean Moore Road.
Their mission, they told gardaí, was to "buy burgers".
Officers there told them that wasn't a good enough excuse to stray so far from home - and fined all of them €100 each.
The guards getting lots of excuses from people breaching the COVID restrictions. 29 fines issued between Monday and Wednesday.
The one that takes the biscuit - three people drove 80km from Meath to Dublin to pick up burgers..— Seán Defoe (@SeanDefoe) January 14, 2021
Gardaí can now issue on-the-spot penalties - and the force says patrols and checkpoints enforcing lockdown will be on alert nationwide this weekend.
In all, 37 people have been hit with fixed-charge notices for going outside their local areas without good cause since Friday.
In Midleton, Co Cork, a woman was fined after being found at a beach outside her 5km limit, having already been told to turn around and go home.
Gardaí are in the Bantry District patrolling the scenic areas to ensure compliance with the current regulations.#HoldFirm #StayHomeStaySafe pic.twitter.com/WQEVFjzWR2
— Garda Info (@gardainfo) January 13, 2021
Two cyclists were stopped in Carrick, near Galway, after their spin took them 19km from home and into the next county.
And in North County Dublin, four people were caught coming out the back entrance of a gym.
They were fined, along with two gym instructors inside who claimed they had to be there to teach online classes because their home internet was broken.
Meanwhile over the weekend, officers in Wicklow handed out over 50 fines over illegal parking at beauty spots.
Cars being towed and drivers outside their 5k being fined here in #Wicklow today. pic.twitter.com/va5yYwWzvc
— Suzanne Campbell (@campbellsuz) January 9, 2021
The force says "significant" checkpoints and patrols will be covering the country this weekend to continue enforcement the pandemic restrictions.
