Coast rule breakers cop $50,000 in fines

From four-wheel-driving to 10-people parties, police caught these covidiots defying the coronavirus restrictions this Easter weekend.

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SUNSHINE Coast police issued more than $50,000 in fines over the Easter long-weekend to people breaching the public health order issued to combat COVID-19.

Of those, 10 were at a single party on Eumundi-Noosa Rd, another five at a party in Mooloolaba and four to people four-wheel-driving on a private property.

Police Acting Superintendent Jason Overland said over the weekend QPS attended 246 jobs specifically related to the public health directions, with the majority of those gatherings in public and at private residences.

This led to 39 infringement notices issued across the Easter long weekend.

It comes as the Sunshine Coast has only recorded one new case of coronavirus in the past four days.

At the most updated figures from Queensland Health the Sunshine Coast total remains at 87, of which 67 people have recovered and 19 are active cases.

Statewide yesterday there were seven new cases, taking Queensland's total to 987.

Photos taken over the Easter long weekend showed several of the Sunshine Coast's more populated areas resembling a ghost town as signs most Sunshine Coast residents were following social-distancing practices.

Act Supt Overland said police worked closely with their partners in Sunshine Coast Council, Noosa Council, Surf Life Saving Queensland and National Parks to ensure appropriate advice and action was given to the community.

"We continue to educate local community to provide advice on when people can leave their home and what are essential activities," Supt Overland said.

Supt Overland said they ordinarily attended noisy parties, and now they turned their mind as to whether they complied with the public health order restrictions.

"Some people are slow to acknowledge the importance of complying with the public health order directives, they are for community safety."

Supt Overland said were dishing out "enforcement" as a last resort, but had fined people in cases where it was clear they had ignored police warnings and advice.

"We are not giving warnings, we are recording that people have had the Queensland Police Service directive explained to them so there can be no dispute about … whether they understand," he said.

AMA Sunshine Coast president Roger Faint said the low new numbers were a direct result of the social-distancing steps being enforced.

Dr Faint said not yet having a fully functioning international airport was a blessing in disguise to help the region combat coronavirus.

Dr Faint said he anticipated that lockdown restrictions could be relaxed if the situation continued to plateau as it had but did not speculate as to what capacity.

However, he stressed that the lockdown laws should remain in place unless authorities said otherwise.

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