Premier says avoid beaches to save lives to help win fight against deadly coronavirus
Ordinarily, it would be a great weekend to hit the Geelong region’s beaches. But not now. The message is clear; stay off the beach, stay inside and stop this virus in its tracks.
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Beachgoers are implored to stay out of the water this weekend, with authorities fearing swimmers might flout social distancing advice on the Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsula.
“You don’t need to be at the beach – if you chose to be at the beach then that is a choice that may cost someone their life,” Premier Daniel Andrews said Friday ahead of a sunny weekend forecast.
“No one should be at the beach and if I have to take action to prevent people from going to the beach, I will.”
Geelong’s Eastern Beach was this week closed to the public, and a number of Melbourne councils did the same with their beaches on Friday after worrying crowds flocked there to swim.
The warm weather expected this weekend has authorities on edge about beach crowds, particularly after hundreds swam at Sydney’s Bondi beach last weekend, defying social distancing rules designed to limit the spread of the fatal coronavirus.
Because of those concerns surf clubs have stopped patrolling beaches in the Greater Geelong or Surf Coast municipalities.
Torquay, Jan Juc, Anglesea, Lorne and Ocean Grove were among the clubs that decided on Thursday to immediately suspend its regular beach patrols.
Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club president Chris Paterson said the club cancelled patrols under instruction from Life Saving Victoria, meaning there would be no flags and limited support should aswimmer find themselves in trouble.
“We strongly discourage people from going in the water,” Mr Paterson said.
“Firstly, because you’d potentially be breaking the government’s rules about public gatherings and increasing your exposure to coronavirus.
“Secondly, because we won’t be patrolling the beach, so that safety is not there.”
Hundreds flocked to beaches at Torquay and Lorne last weekend, with witnesses stating many were not following distancing guidelines designed to reduce the spread of the virus.
The measures include a ban on outdoor gatherings of 500 or more people, while also urging people to maintain a minimum distance of 1.5m from each other.
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Despite temperatures set to reach 29C on Saturday and 28C again on Sunday, Victorian senator Sarah Henderson also encouraged people to stay out of the water.
Ms Henderson said a simple day trip to the coast could significantly put other people at risk.
“We cannot risk a repeat of what happened on Bondi Beach in our own backyard,” she said.
“Towns such as Lorne and Anglesea have a high proportion of older residents; we simply cannot afford to put anyone at risk.
“The last thing that Victorian coastal communities need is an outbreak of COVID-19.”
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews warned people if they disobey current advice it could lead to the closure of local beaches.
“I’ve closed the pubs, because no one has to go to the pubs. If I have to close the beaches, I will be,” he said.
Originally published as Premier says avoid beaches to save lives to help win fight against deadly coronavirus