Cllr Paraic Brady says anyone found deliberately coughing or spitting on anyone else in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic should be jailed for six months straight away
Anyone who is caught deliberately coughing or spitting on people during the worsening Covid-19 crisis should be immediately put behind bars for six months.
That's according to Longford County Councillor Cllr Paraic Brady, who launched a stinging rebuke at recent concerns of a sudden spike in such practices.
"It's absolutely disgusting, downright disgusting," he told the Leader this afternoon.
"These people should be jailed for six months straight away, no questions asked."
Cllr Brady, a member of the HSE's Dublin Mid Leinster Health Forum, made the call after Health Minister Simon Harris revealed yesterday how he had fallen foul of the practice in recent days.
Mr Harris said a man and a woman approached him as he was walking from Government Buildings to the Department of Health on Baggot Street on Tuesday and “thought it was hilariously funny to come up and cough loudly and run off laughing”.
Mr Harris said there was "absolutely nothing funny about it, it was quite pathetic" and warned that the full rigours of the law will be used against those found to be engaging in such acts.
Cllr Brady said those laws and tough handed legislation cannot come quick enough.
"Anyone who does it, be it to our gardaí, frontline staff or innocent members of the public should be put away for six months at the very least," he said.
"That will fairly stop them then."
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.