Elderly people, dog owners, and pedestrians have been given walking warnings amid the cold snap, with frozen paths not set to thaw out today.
Age Action Ireland have advised older people who are vulnerable to avoid going outside if they can help it with snow and ice covering footpaths across the city.
“There’s over a million people aged 60 and over in Ireland and thankfully most of them are in good health, living independently," said Policy Specialist Nat O'Connor. "But many older persons do suffer from the cold due to health conditions or frailty, which can also make it, you know, eager to risk of trips or falls when it's icy. And of course, many people are living in poorly insulated homes, which are expensive to heat.
Read more: Ireland's big freeze could be here to stay 'until the end of next week', says weather expert
"So we want any older person who's concerned about the cold to know that there are support available and steps that they can take," he continued. "And first and foremost is to stay warm. You know, don't just turn off the heat to save money, but if you're worried about the cost of the heating, keep a steady temperature in the room where you're spending most of your time."
Dog owners were also advised against walking their dogs in these conditions. Speaking to Claire Byrne on RTE Radio One, Dog Behaviour Specialist Kathleen Murray said: "For the cold spell, it's not absolutely necessary for your dog to go out every day. Just stay safe and because if you fall and you have a broken ankle or a broken hip, you can't walk your dog anyway so you're useless to your dog at that point."
She also warned against dogs walking on gritted roads, as the salt could potentially harm them if they ingest it from licking their paws. She recommended giving their paws a rinse when they come back. She further advised dog owners to instead stimulate their pets by playing with them at home, teaching them new tricks or going on a visit to a fellow dog owner where the pets could play together.
Carlow Weather's Alan O’Reilly confirmed that the ice and snow is unlikely to thaw out today, as temperatures will remain very low. He said: "If the sun can get out, it will only thaw where it hits. There really won't be much thaw."
A Dublin City Council spokesman said the Council has gritted over 300km of roads overnight, which represents around a quarter of the total road network. Ten gritting crews were in place from 6pm last night carrying out the work, which targets the main arterial routes into and out of the city.
"Dublin City Council prioritises the gritting of main roads into and out of the city to help facilitate access to public transport, emergency services, hospitals, places of work, shopping areas, education centres and other businesses," a second spokesperson further added. "If there are significant accumulations of snow, staff are deployed from various divisions within the council to assist in the clearance of snow from footpaths."
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