Kerry County Council Covid19 – Strand Street – Proposed extension of street Closure

Kerry County Council have advised The Dingle Business Chamber that they will be seeking an extension of the Strand St closure to the 1st of November. KCC stated that they have always advised that the measures that were in place for July and August were temporary in nature and would be reviewed in the context of the public health guidance at this time and also of any other needs that are arising.

From Kerry Coco: “Following the lifting of travel restrictions and the opening of hotels and caravan parks, there has been a significant increase in pedestrian footfall in tourist towns in Kerry, in particular in Dingle. The level of footfall experienced was significantly higher than was originally envisaged when the plan was developed in June. With the delay in restarting the tourism season, delays with the reopening of third level educational institutions, and restrictions on foreign travel, it is expected that the tourism season could extend at least until the end of October.

There are challenges with the reopening of schools to be considered from the end of this month also . The announcement this week in relation to school transport and the restrictions on bus capacity is expected to result in increased pedestrian movements.

Having regard to the above, the current public health advice from the Department of Health, with increasing numbers of confirmed Covid cases and with community transmission, the requirement to provide for safe social distancing will remain for some considerable time. Accordingly, it is considered necessary to extend the current road closure in Dingle until the end of October 2020 to provide a safe environment for pedestrians and cyclists.

Submissions on the proposed extension will be invited in the public ads.”