NSW Covid: Police issue dozens of fines during Sydney lockdown

Police issued 44 $1000 Covid fines on Monday, including to two nude sunbathers who got lost and had to be rescued in the Royal National Park.

Naked sunbathers who were startled by a deer on a beach before getting lost and rescued in a national park have been fined $1,000 for breaching the public health order.

The men, aged 30 and 49, were found in varying degrees of undress in the Royal National Park at Otford and were among 44 people fined.

Emergency services went to the bushland around 6pm on Sunday. Police first found the younger man, who was completely naked and carrying a backpack, near Lake Wakehurst Drive.

They discovered the partially clothed 49-year-old nearby.

The pair told police they were on a nearby beach – but ran into bushland after being startled by a deer.

Both men were taken to St George Police Station and issued $1,000 PINs for breaching the public health order which prohibits people from Greater Sydney from leaving the region.

Police Commissioner Mick Fuller hammered the point home that if you break the rules you will be punished.

“Two men sunbaking naked on a beach on the south coast were startled by a deer, ran into forest and got lost. Not only did they need the SES’s help but they also received a ticket of $1,000 each,” he said.

“If you breach the rules, you will be punished.”

“It’s difficult to legislate against idiots. They clearly were putting people at risk without proper reason, getting lost in a national park, they should be embarrassed.”

NSW police patrolling Coogee to ensure people were abiding by Covid restrictions on Monday. Picture: John Grainger

An anti-vaxxer cafe owner in the Illawarra was also fined.

The owner of Village Fix, 41-year-old Anthony Reale, was fined for not ensuring workers at his venue wore fitted face masks and failed to wear a fitted face covering.

He refers to himself as a “freedom keeper” and posted a picture on social media with the caption: “no mask, we won’t ask”.

The commissioner added police will be revisiting Reale’s cafe in coming days.

When officers first arrived, they saw neither the staff or the operator were wearing face masks; the operator was reminded of her obligations under the current health orders but allegedly refused to comply.

The two staff members were warned and complied, putting masks on; however, a 38-year-old woman was arrested.

She was taken to Port Kembla Police Station where she was charged with fail to comply with notice direction (not wear fitted face covering in retail/business premises), and operator not ensure hospitality workers wear fitted face coverings.

She was given bail conditions to strictly comply with the public health orders and not to incite or encourage others to defy them. She is due to appear in Port Kembla Local Court on July 21.

In a third incident, police stopped a car on the Hume Highway at Goulburn and spoke with the driver, a 33-year-old man from Ermington. He was issued with a $1000 PIN and was directed to immediately return to Sydney.

Police have received hundreds of calls from the public over the weekend reporting potential public health order breaches.

In total, 44 $1000 PINs were issued on Monday and of those four $200 infringements were issued for failing to wear a fitted face covering.