Guests at a house party in North Bondi have copped fines totaling $11,000 after breaking COVID safety protocols, as NSW officials criticise large crowds who gathered at the state’s beaches over the weekend.
Per NSW Police reports, officers were called to a property in North Bondi just before 11pm on December 26, after receiving multiple noise complaints from neighbours. They said:
Police located at least 40 people at the party, with most running from the home when officers arrived. Officers spoke with 11 people, including two residents and nine visitors, who remained at the property.
Two women – aged 24 and 26 – and nine men – aged 26, 28, 30, 31, 32, 34, and three aged 24 – were subsequently issued $1000 PINs for not comply with noticed direction s7/8/9-COVID-19.
Police are still trying to determine the identities of other party-goers.
This week, for a vaguely dystopian vibe, drone devices typically used for shark monitoring will be deployed at a number of Sydney’s beaches to ensure crowds are social distancing.
Waverly Council, which oversees Bondi Beach has opted out of the drone program, with beach safety manager Matt du Plessis saying that it’s “nice but not essential.”
This news comes as NSW Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes criticised weekend crowds who defied public health orders to attend large beachside gatherings across the state.
He told Today:
“We had done so much effort in terms of educating people about keeping that towel length away from one another on the beach or in our parks and it is really outrageous when you consider the sorts of conditions that people have put up with in my local community to make sure that everyone else is kept safe and see that people in other parts of the state are just ignoring those rules and putting everyone at risk.”
Overnight, NSW Health released its updated list of venues attended by confirmed cases of COVID-19, including venues in North Sydney, Casula and Belrose.
.@NSWHealth has been notified of a number of new and updated venues attended by confirmed cases of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/GbZ80kAB0r
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 27, 2020
This information can also be found on the NSW Health website here: https://t.co/K47ec4eVxv
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 27, 2020
