Ireland: 'Idiots' Deliberately Coughing On People In Sickening 'Corona Challenge' Across Dublin

A sickening new "corona challenge" where people cough or spit at others to make them believe they have been infected with COVID-19 is sweeping social media.

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Twisted thugs are filming themselves cough or spitting at people while out walking or shopping and then posting the videos on social media apps.

Yesterday Dublin Live reported that gardai were investigating after a lowlife repeatedly coughed in the faces of an elderly couple who were out walking on Sallins Road in Kildare on Thursday afternoon.

Further reports have emerged of more mindless thugs targeting elderly and vulnerable people.

In one incident a woman was shopping in a south Dublin supermarket yesterday morning at around 10:30am when a man approached her, made a comment about her wearing a face mask and the coughed in her face.

In another shocking incident, an elderly man with special needs was standing at a bus stop in Bray yesterday when two teenagers approached him and coughed in his face.

Kildare TD James Lawless slammed the "idiots" taking part in the challenge and reminded them that they could face criminal charges for engaging in such behaviour.

The Fianna Fail rep, who is a barrister by profession, said: "This really is too serious to be explained away with a ‘boys will be boys’ attitude.

"People are desperately frightened of these thugs who are laughing and jeering about having COVID-19 while coughing directly into people’s faces – it’s disgusting.

"There are grounds for this in the statue books. Under section six of the Non-Fatal Offences Against The Person Act 1997 it is an offence to spray, pour or put onto a person blood or any fluid or substance resembling blood, leading a person to believe that they have become infected with disease as a result.

"Section One of the act makes specific reference to contaminated fluid and section two covers the intentional or reckless application of force in liquid form.

"In the midst of this crisis it’s unfortunate that we would even need to remind young people that by carrying out these reprehensible acts they could actually be convicted of a very serious crime.

"It's time for parents to step up, they need to make sure their children are aware of the consequences of their actions."

A garda spokesman urged anyone who has been the victim of such attacks to report the incident.

He told Dublin Live: "Any member of the public should report such activity to An Garda Síochána.

"This activity could amount to an offence under the Public Order Act or Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

"An Garda Síochána will treat any reports of this type of activity seriously."

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