The owner of a wellness retreat that had been offering cut-price deals to frontline medics has said she is awaiting a response from Gardaí as to whether or not anyone staying
there was actually in breach of the 5km rule.
Lisa Wilkinson, who has run the Elbowroom for almost two decades, said she had stopped offering 50% reduced stays at her centre in Wicklow after two medics rescued a lost dog last month, only to subsequently become the subject of a complaint that they had breached the 5km rule.
Ms Wilkinson, who is also training to be a barrister, said she had lodged a query with An Garda Síochána regarding the statute, as she said it was possible that travel beyond 5km was permitted for health reasons or reasons of avoiding ill health.
She said she had offered free stays to frontline healthcare workers in the early stages of the pandemic and more recently had offered 50% reductions, meaning the centre, near Donard, was "operating at cost".
The centre offers a range of services, including psychotherapy, and Ms Wilkinson said all rules regarding social distancing and the wearing of PPE have been strictly adhered to.
The seven-room lodge has a capacity for 18 guests, and fewer than 20 have come since the middle of January. Ms Wilkinson has now temporarily closed the facility.
