Students’ parties push Galway ever closer to Level 3 lockdown

Hundreds of third level students ignored Covid-19 warnings and partied in the city this week like there was no global health pandemic – further fuelling fears of an imminent Galway lockdown.

Galway’s Covid-19 positive case numbers have jumped sharply in recent days prompting Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, and acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn to repeatedly flag a possible move to stage three restrictions.

But despite the prospect of another lockdown edging closer as Covid numbers spiral, students gathered in their droves for ‘bushing’ or open-air drinking at Spanish Arch, Middle Arch and Claddagh, and at house parties all over the city.

Video footage and photographs of the scenes circulated on social media causing outrage on a par with that witnessed during ‘Golfgate’ this summer when the public fumed over an Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in Clifden attended by over 80 people, including politicians.

A clip of scores of young people chanting ‘There’s no Covid in Galway’ on Shop Street was condemned by Mayor of Galway, Councillor Mike Cubbard as ‘disgusting’, and an affront to healthcare workers.

On Monday, the first day of the new academic term, Galway Gardaí called to Spanish Arch area and confiscated alcohol and dispersed the crowds, but the problem then moved into residential areas. Gardaí also responded to over 25 reports of student house parties.

See full coverage of this – and the Covid crisis – in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now. Or you can download a digital copy from our website www.connachtribune.ie