Victorians, after so much time inside you finally get to enjoy yourselves out and about for the Melbourne Cup public holiday, but as I’m sure you all expected, this will not be without some intensive police patrolling.
Melburnians, of course, are enjoying their fourth (FOURTH!) day in a row without any new cases, and another beautiful day with zero deaths, and my God they have earnt themselves some much-needed time in the sun, as a treat.
Temperatures are expected to hit 30C on this fine Melbourne Cup public holiday, so naturally, there are going to be a LOT of beachgoers throughout the day. However, all main beaches across Victoria are expected to be heavily patrolled by police.
VIC Police are expected to be on full patrol across parks, public transport stops, beaches and shopping centres, ensuring that outside gatherings stay under 10 people, and masks are worn by everyone.
Mounted police will also be patrolling some areas to ensure that everyone is staying COVID-safe when outside.
“If we do start to see numbers get to a point where it becomes a bit of a problem we’ll be calling on the extra resources that Victoria Police have rostered on for the next two days,” Bayside Chief Executive Mick Cummins told the Herald Sun.
“Trying to block every single access point is going to be a very difficult task, but I’m confident the overwhelming majority of people are going to do the right thing.”
Beachgoers are encouraged to bring spare masks just in case the one they wear out gets wet or breaks. Being caught without a mask could result in some hefty fines, and that is the last thing we want for any Victorian.
“We know many people will be particularly keen to get outside and enjoy the sunshine over the coming days but police ask that you do so safely,” said a spokeswoman for the Victoria Police.
“Police will not allow anyone to engage in criminal or disruptive behaviour, particularly those that have a negative impact on the rest of the community.
“Anyone planning on heading out and about must adhere to the latest Chief Health Officer directions and police will continue to enforce these rules.”
