Residents of Victorian holiday hotspot Phillip Island say they witnessed a wave of traffic from Melbourne yesterday, fuelling fears that punters ditched the metro area in the hours before renewed coronavirus lockdowns too hold.
Citing eyewitness reports, Nine News reported traffic on the Bass Highway, the primary route between Melbourne and Phillip Island, experienced traffic which the region hasn’t seen since the Christmas rush.
“It’s been all day,” San Remo resident Nathan Williams told 3AW Drive.
“All day the bridge has been packed.”
The traffic was due to “out-of-towners,” he claimed. “Nobody is following to the rules. Nobody.”
Despite being ordered to stay put, it appears Melburnians have flouted the rules – packing up their cars and leaving the city to escape the lockdown deadline. @Elisabeth_Moss9 #9News pic.twitter.com/WLsCbw4HHu
— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) July 8, 2020
However, the Department of Transport told Nine News there was nothing to suggest the traffic was unusual for this time of year, and some community members reported that roadworks on key routes may have contributed to delays.
The Melbourne metro area returned to Stage 3 lockdowns overnight, meaning residents are only permitted to leave home for a handful of reasons.
Those lockdowns won’t impact regional Victoria, including Phillip Island and the Bass Coast region.
On Wednesday, Premier Daniel Andrews warned against folks fleeing Melbourne for the six-week period to hunker down in regional Victoria.
“We’ve talked about this virus being like a public health bushfire,” he said.
“By putting a ring around metropolitan Melbourne, we’re essentially putting in place a perimeter to protect regional Victorians.”
Victoria yesterday recorded 134 new coronavirus cases. The virus has claimed 22 lives in the state.
