There are calls for clear time-limits to be placed on the Government’s emergency COVID-19 legislation.

An emergency bill, due to make its way through the Oireachtas on Thursday, will hand sweeping powers to Gardaí and State authorities.

They will give the government power to seal off parts of the country, shut down public gatherings and detain people who refuse to self-isolate.

COVID-19 laws

The Irish Council of Civil Liberties said the legislation must include stronger guarantees that short-term measures will stay short-term.

Executive Director Liam Herrick said any restrictions must be proportionate and “only as invasive as is necessary to protect public health.”

“These are very extreme powers,” he said.

“Clearly we are in an emergency situation but we need to ensure that the detail of each of those powers is very tightly drawn.

“Particularly with the power to prohibit events. The power as it currently is in the draft is quite broad and I think we need to ensure that it is not open to overly broad or excessive application.”

Civil rights

He said that Irish society will eventually return to normal and, when it does, we need to ensure that there has been no permanent erosion of rights - and that and no future government can ever abuse the powers introduced to tackle this crisis.

“The Government can, without going back to the Dáil, extend this without any limitation to the time,” he said.

“The Dáil could subsequently vote to annul the legislation but I think this is quite an open-ended power to extend what are emergency powers.

“The greatest concern we would have at this stage is that we want to have stronger guarantees that short-term measures will stay short-term.”

The ICCL is also urging the government to honour its human rights obligations by protecting the most vulnerable people in society - such as the homeless, the Traveller community, prisoners and those living in Direct Provision - through the crisis.