As the country enters further into lockdown, Garda checkpoints will be a feature to discourage people from moving – trucks and buses must be allowed to divert around them.
This morning there are reports of long delays on the orbital routes into and out of Dublin as Gardaí stop and question people about their journey. Trucks must be diverted around these checkpoints to allow goods to get to their destination. Similarly buses must keep to schedules where best possible.
Shops and factories have very short lead times and limited storage to hold stock. A truck or bus on the road is clearly on legitimate business, so an interview with a driver only serves the purpose of delaying a journey. Hopefully the high profile nature of these checkpoints will have the effect of keeping people at home and not making unnecessary journeys. While truck and bus operators may not be front line workers, they are an essential support to the front line, as key workers. In a crisis they say an army marches on its stomach; logistics and supply chains are the foundation of this policy, they cannot be slowed or blocked.