Tipperary Rural Traveller Project says any funerals they’ve heard of in the community locally have been very much compliant with Covid regulations.
It comes as reports yesterday highlighted a number of Traveller funerals where large numbers had attended.
Four large funerals have taken place in Cork and Wexford over the past week, with up to 150 attending each of them.
100 people gathered outside a church in Cork city’s northside on Monday, including from Britain and other counties, according to reports.
Pavee Point says the Gardaí should be doing more to enforce the restrictions.
But Family Support Officer with the Tipperary Rural Traveller Project, Jack Griffin has told Tipp FM News he believes most of the community is complying:
“We have worked in situations where there have been funerals and the families have worked very closely with the funeral home and with the HSE and relevant authorities to make sure it went ok.
“So I think the communities themselves are very conscious and worried obviously, because as I spoke about before, the risks are increased for the community in terms of underlying health conditions and overcrowding.
“I think they’re keen to protect themselves.”
Meanwhile, Jack says the HSE has been of great assistance to Travellers in terms of providing places for them to be able to isolate:
“In South Tipperary, as far as we know only five members of the community have contacted COVID-19 to date. They’ve had quite mild symptoms. The HSE took the lead in terms of supporting them to isolate.
“There’s currently, in South Tipperary, 19 opportunities for families to isolate. There’s six houses, four trailers, and nine isolation rooms in B&Bs.
“So, if a situation arises where a member of the community contracts the virus and needs to isolate there are 19 options in terms of spaces where they can do that.”
