Coffs/Clarence police charge pair over COVID violation

The charges on of two delivered on the North Coast as police keep a watch on health restrictions

Police in the southern New South Wales (NSW) border city of Albury check cars crossing the state border from Victoria on July 8, 2020 after authorities closed the border due to an outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus in Victoria. - With the city of Melbourne going into lockdown for the next six weeks, the entire state of Victoria will effectively be sealed off from the rest of the country with the state border to NSW closing on 08 July. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

COFFS/CLARENCE police have charged a pair with a breach of current coronavirus restrictions early Sunday morning.

Just after midnight on August 9, officers from Coffs/Clarence Highway Patrol stopped an unregistered Toyota Kluger outside a hotel on the Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour, and spoke to the 29-year-old female driver

>>> DON'T ARGUE: Police issued infringement notices after copping abuse

According to police, she produced a Victorian driver's licence and while speaking to her, a 32-year-old man - known to the woman - approached the vehicle.

Checks revealed the couple entered NSW on Monday July 27 on a transit permit, before staying at Port Macquarie on Sunday August 2.

>>>RELATED: 'One of the safest venues in town"

A police spokesman said the pair were arrested and taken to Coffs Harbour Police Station where they were both charged with not comply with noticed direction section 7/8/9 - COVID-19.

They were refused bail and appeared at Port Macquarie Bail Court yesterday where they were granted conditional bail to appear at Coffs Harbour Local Court yesterday.

It was the second offence in two days on the North Coast as Tweed/Byron police charged a woman as she was found not isolating as per health directions.

Officers attended a home on Cecil Street, Nimbin last Friday and spoke to a 31-year-old woman who arrived in NSW from Victoria on Saturday August 1.

The woman had been advised to travel direction from Albury to her Nimbin address.

>>> TIMELINE: How COVID spread across the North Coast

A police spokesman said checks revealed the woman had visited a friend in Maitland, stopped at Nabiac and Gosford for mechanical repairs and picked up a patient who had been discharged from Lismore Base Hospital.

Following further inquiries, the woman was served a Court Attendance Notice for not comply with noticed direction section 7/8/9 - COVID-19 yesterday on Sunday.

She is due to appear in Lismore Local Court on Monday September 21.

Originally published as