A 24-year-old woman from Sydney’s eastern suburbs allegedly breached COVID restrictions to fly to Canberra and invited guests to her hotel despite public health orders.
The woman, who is front Paddington, is facing court after allegedly flying into Canberra without an exemption, despite the fact that Greater Sydney is under a strict lockdown after a surge of COVID-19 cases.
The woman was spotted by ACT Police after getting off the flight in Canberra on Friday, according to News.com.au.
Cops identified her as a resident of Greater Sydney as she got off the plane in Canberra. They alleged that she did not have an exemption, and escorted her to a hotel at Canberra airport, where she was ordered to remain.”.
Later that night, at around 11.45pm, the hotel staff reported to police that the woman allegedly had guests over and that she was planning to leave the hotel despite public health orders. In an even wilder twist, the cops arrived at the hotel as the woman allegedly got into a rideshare (!!!!) and left.
Obviously, the police followed and stopped the vehicle, arresting the woman. She’s now been sent back to Sydney and is facing a charge of failing to comply with a direction by the chief health officer. She is currently out on bail, but will face ACT court again in August.
This is just the latest in a string of stories of Sydneysiders allegedly flouting restrictions.
NSW Police have been cracking down on public heath order compliance, but they have been criticised for their heavy handed approach in the west.
NSW Police announced that they were deploying over 100 police officers, including mounted police, into western Sydney LGAs.
The operation, which kicked off from 7am on Friday morning, reportedly involves police officers approaching Western Sydney residents and questioning them on their “reasonable excuse” for being outside during the stay-at-home orders.
People were quick to point out that this policing wasn’t as tough in the eastern suburbs, where the cluster originated and continues to grow.
NSW Police also said they’d question people “wandering aimlessly around shops looking at shoes”. Also didn’t see this kind of policing at v upmarket Westfield Bondi Junction, where this cluster’s patient zero actually went https://t.co/n2K0UEHQUd
— Ange McCormack (@_angemccormack) July 8, 2021
Although “Covid compliance is the same across metropolitan Sydney” the NSW Govt is sending more than 100 police officers into South West Sydney. There is absolutely NO logic for the direct targeting of Sydney’s black and brown communities.
— David Shoebridge (@DavidShoebridge) July 8, 2021
Bondi gets an ‘oops, it’s ok’ and Bankstown gets police.
— sara m. saleh | سارة صالح (@SaraSalehTweets) July 8, 2021
“NSW Police have issued 106 personal infringement notices across NSW in the last 24 hours, and revealed 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.
