New regulations which came into force yesterday do not include a criminal penalty for people travelling more than 20 kilometres outside of their county.

However, criminal penalties remain in place for organising events for more than 15 people.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), which opposed any extension of emergency Garda powers, has welcomed the move.

Doireann Ansbro, ICCL’s senior research and policy officer, said: “We are glad to see that the government is removing criminal penalties for the exercise of rights. Any limits on rights in health emergencies must be demonstrably necessary and proportionate to the aim of protecting public health.

“We saw no evidence that continued criminalisation and prosecution in relation to public health advice was justified or likely to be effective.

“We all should continue to follow public health advice but law abiding citizens can now do so with more confidence, in the knowledge that potential criminal sanctions are no longer hanging over them.”