Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has slammed a group of people who attended a Richmond “takeaway pub crawl” last night.
According to the ABC, the “Walk. Talk Sip” event was organised via social media and involved patrons attending six different Richmond venues that were offering drinks under $10.
Daniel Andrews said that an event like that was “just not worth it”, if it could lead the potential spread of COVID-19.
“We’re as strong as our weakest point when it comes to this virus and that’s why everyone needs to do the right thing,” Andrews said.
“There’ll be time to go on pub crawls, there’ll be time to do all sorts of things that we’d like to be doing and that’s when we get to 80 per cent of the community vaccinated.
“What I’m trying to achieve is being open between some of the time between now and when we get to 80 per cent. Not locked down, like New South Wales are going to be, for months and months and months.”
The pub crawl last night wasn’t a standalone incident either, with Acting Superintendent Greg Hinton confirming that 1,300 calls were made to the Police Assistance Line on Saturday. Hinton said that most of those breaches related to people gathering in public spaces and businesses breaking the rules.
Greg Hinton attributed the rise in breaches to the warmer weather, and said 25 fines had been issued over the weekend as a result.
“The weather is warm and we understand the community are out and about, however, the message is pretty clear: if you’re collecting food and drinks from a venue, you need to collect them and move on, and do not linger around those venues and in the parks.”
“It’s not an opportunity to socialise with your friends, this isn’t a loophole in the Chief Health Officer’s directions.
“If you’re drinking with your friends in the parks, it’s not an essential reason.”
