NSW Police Say People Broke Stay-At-Home Orders To Play PlayStation & Have They Heard Of PSN?

nsw lockdown playstation party

People in NSW reportedly broke stay-at-home orders put in place during the Greater Sydney lockdown to play PlayStation, and have they heard of a little thing called the PlayStation Network? Jackbox literally exists.

Speaking at today’s NSW press conference, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said that while a vast majority of NSW residents have complied with the public health order, there have been three noteworthy instances in the last 24 hours of people breaching it.

First, a group of 15 old men was playing cards in a “unit in Marrickville.” None of them were wearing masks and the men were in their fifties through to just short of 90 years of age.

Then, there was an 18th birthday party held near Sydney Olympic Park. Ten people had gathered at the event before NSW Police arrived and issued “infringement notices [to] each of those people, closed the party down,” and directed people home.

But, it’s the last incident that was brought up today that I’m questioning, where a bunch of young blokes breached stay-at-home orders (and risked spreading the virus to their friends and family) to play… couch co-op?

“The third incident that I would highlight is one in a garage under a set of units in the Merrylands area,” Warboys explained.

“These were young people that were playing PlayStation.

“Again, noise of that gathering was reported to police. Police went along, knocked on that garage, and here were the people sitting outside the public health order, quite clearly, and aware of their obligations.

“They were issued infringement notices and were told to go back home.”

Besties, don’t you all know that things are online now. I mean, PSN exists and has existed for over a decade! I know you have to pay for a PlayStation Plus membership to use online features but I think it’s worth it here.

Coming from someone who lives at home during this lockdown, I know how shitty it is to not be stuck with your friends or even people your age for the next few weeks. But, please, there are other ways of staying in touch with your friends during this period that won’t put the people around you at risk.

Hit up the group chat, FaceTime a friend, invite your pals to your Animal Crossing island or to a voice chat over PlayStation’s online service, start a chaotic Zoom call. Whatever you want, just as long as you’re staying at home.

“These are three very different but still very much the same incident of people making a conscious decision to not stay at home and leave their home to another premise for an organised gathering, and not comply with the public health order,” Warboys said.

“The vast majority of people continue to do the right thing and comply with public health order. NSW Police thank those people and really we just need to see people take a conscious decision about their actions.

“If you have to leave your home, you need to first think if you need to leave your home in this instance, and then if you have to, to do that in the shortest possible time frame.”

NSW Police have issued 106 personal infringement notices across NSW in the last 24 hours and say that there have been over 1200 messages sent in to CrimeStoppers about people allegedly breaching stay-at-home orders.

Earlier today, NSW recorded 77 new cases and the first death in the ‘Bondi Cluster’ outbreak. Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned that it’s unlikely that the lockdown will end next Friday. In the meantime, we answered all of our lockdown-related questions, including whether you can catch an uber, here.

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