The Deputy Chief Medical Officer has said he ‘fully understands’ young people’s frustration after crowds tore down a barrier in Stephen’s Green park yesterday.

The city centre park was shut down after a crowd of people broke through a barrier and began singing and dancing on one of the bandstands.

Gardaí said the crowds dispersed after they arrived at the park at around 5:30pm.

The fenced-off bandstand in Stephen's Green, 03-06-2021. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNews

Speaking on Spin 103.8 earlier today, Dr Ronan Glynn said he knows people are sick of the restrictions – but insisted they are there for good reason.

“We have been pushing these messages for 15 months,” he said.

“We have been asking young people and people of all ages to alter their lives dramatically over the past year and a half so it is fully understandable that people are frustrated and people don’t want to stick with this.

“But on the other side of that, the reason we are asking people to stick with these messages is for their own safety and the safety of their families and friends.”

Gardaí enforcing coronavirus restrictions and moving people on from South William Street, 31-05-2021. Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire/PA Images

Dublin City Council is putting over 100 portable toilets and extra bins in place across the city this weekend, ahead of an expected influx of people to the city.

It follows the scenes in Cork, Galway and on South William Street in Dublin last week, which the Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan described as “like a major open-air party.”

Dr Glynn urged people right around the country to stick to the guidelines while meeting up over the long weekend.

“We still have about 3,000 cases a week in this country,” he said.

“Now, compared to a number of months ago, the vast majority of those cases are in younger people – people under 45-years-of-age.

“Those people are less likely to end up getting severe disease, less likely to end up in hospital or critical care or to die – but we can’t be sure for any one person what their outcome is going to be.”

Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, at a media briefing at the Department of Health. Picture by: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie

Gardaí said no arrests were made at Stephen’s Green last night and their investigations are ongoing.

A spokesperson said the OPW took the decision to close the park, noting that the management of local public spaces is “primarily a matter for the relevant local authority.”

“An Garda Síochána continues to appeal to the public to avoid crowded areas and large gatherings; take personal responsibility to protect yourself and others, wear face coverings in open spaces, and maintain social distancing,” he said.

He noted that it is not a prosecutable offence to refuse to wear a face mask or observe social distance outdoors.

“The COVID-19 Pandemic remains a public health crisis and An Garda Síochána continues to appeal to all citizens to demonstrate personal and social responsibility to comply with Public Health Guidelines and Regulations, in order to continue to save lives,” he said.

Main image: Gardaí at St Stephen's Green, 03-06-2021. Image: Tom Douglas/Newstalk