Health Act 1947 (Section 31A â Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (Face Coverings on Public Transport) Regulations 2020.
Statutory Instruments
Source: Statutory Instruments

num: 1
paragraphs: (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Health Act 1947 (Section 31A – Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (Face Coverings on Public Transport) Regulations 2020.
(2) These Regulations shall come into operation on the 13th day of July 2020.
num: 2
paragraphs: These Regulations shall remain in operation until the 5th day of October 2020.
num: 3
paragraphs: In these Regulations -
num: 4
paragraphs: The following persons (each of whom, in these Regulations, is referred to as a “relevant person”) are specified as relevant persons for the purposes of these Regulations:
(a) any officer, employee or agent of a public transport operator who is –
(i) in, on, or boarding a public transport vehicle owned or operated by that operator, and
(ii) acting in the course of his or her duty as such officer, employee or agent in connection with the provision of a public passenger transport service on behalf of that operator;
(b) any officer, employee or agent of the National Transport Authority who is –
(i) in, on, or boarding a public transport vehicle owned or operated by a public transport operator, and
(ii) acting in the course of his or her duty as such officer, employee or agent of the National Transport Authority.
num: 5
paragraphs: (1) A person shall not, without reasonable excuse, travel by public transport vehicle within a relevant geographical location without wearing a face covering.
(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply -
(a) to a person under the age of 13 years,
(b) to a person driving a public transport vehicle from a compartment in which he or she is the sole occupant,
(c) where there is a screen in a public transport vehicle which separates the driver of the vehicle from persons boarding or alighting from the vehicle, to a person driving the vehicle from behind that screen,
(d) where there is not a screen in a public transport vehicle which separates the driver of the vehicle from persons boarding or alighting from the vehicle, to a person driving the vehicle during the periods when no person is boarding or alighting from the vehicle,
(e) to a member of the Garda SÃ­ochÃ¡na in the course of performing his or her duties.
num: 6
paragraphs: Without prejudice to the generality of what constitutes reasonable excuse for the purposes of Regulation 5(1), a person has reasonable excuse if -
(a) the person cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering -
(i) because of any physical or mental illness, impairment, or disability, or
(ii) without severe distress,
(b) the person needs to communicate with a person who has difficulties communicating (in relation to speech, language or otherwise),
(c) the person removes the face covering to provide emergency assistance or to provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person,
(d) the person removes the face covering to avoid harm or injury, or the risk of harm or injury,
(e) the person removes the face covering in order to, and only for the time required to, take medication.
num: 7
paragraphs: (1) Where a relevant person reasonably believes that a person travelling by public transport vehicle (in this Regulation referred to as a “passenger”) is not wearing a face covering in accordance with Regulation 5, he or she may do any of the following:
(a) request the passenger to wear a face covering;
(b) refuse the passenger entry to a public transport vehicle;
(c) request the passenger to alight from a public transport vehicle.
(2) Before exercising a power under paragraph (1) in respect of a passenger, a relevant person shall give the passenger an opportunity to provide reasonable excuse and may request the passenger to provide such information as the relevant person considers necessary to determine whether or not the passenger has reasonable excuse.
(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the onus shall be on a passenger to establish, to the satisfaction of the relevant person, that he or she has reasonable excuse.
(4) A passenger shall comply with a request or refusal under paragraph (1).
(5) Paragraph (4) is a penal provision for the purposes of section 31A of the Health Act 1947 (No. 28 of 1947).