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Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said he counts himself very lucky after a mild dose of Covid-19.<\/p>\nGarda Commissioner Drew Harris has said he counts himself very lucky after a mild dose of Covid-19.<\/p>\n
Mr Harris told RT\u00c9\u2019s The Late Late Show that he had the virus over the Christmas period, but was back to work after about two and a half weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cMild but unpleasant and no joke, my heart goes out to those who have suffered from it and I count myself as being very fortunate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do count myself very lucky in that way (that it was not more severe).\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Harris said the force went through a \u201cbad period\u201d at the start of January with Covid-19, but added it is now 95 per cent operational, compared with 97 per cent in \u201cnormal times\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have about 200-300 who are either suffering from Covid or self-isolating,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have good strong operational capabilities\u2026 and you can see the amount of work we are doing out on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said there has been a reduction in cross-Border traffic by between 10 and 12 per cent since the Garda were given powers to fine people travelling between counties without a \u201creasonable excuse\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is significant, but we won\u2019t know fully until we have seen a couple of weekends when you see accelerated amounts of movement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut travelers from anywhere, including Northern Ireland, must have an essential purpose for their journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not a hard border insomuch as people can travel backwards and forwards if they can show an essential purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe work closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and if we are working close to the border we work in partnership with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Harris has been Garda Commissioner since September 2018.<\/p>\n
He said he has had a \u201cvery, very positive experience\u201d so far, halfway through his first term in the role.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy contract said five years so whether I get a second term or not is probably for others to determine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I want to be sure is that however long I am here that I have left the organization stronger and in a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n
He previously served as deputy chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a lot of my experience in the Police Service of Northern Ireland, dealing with crisis and critical situations, has helped me and prepared me for this particular national crisis that we\u2019re all facing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n