Coronavirus NSW live updates: Police dished out 13 coronavirus fines yesterdaySN

NSW Police have been patrolling the streets and knocking on doors in a bid to catch out people breaking new social distancing rules. Here are all the fines cops have dished out so far. 

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NSW Police have dished out 13 fines in one day to people flouting new social distancing laws, including a man on his way to a drug dealer and a man eating a kebab. 

Police have been patrolling parks, beaches, roads and any public place to catch out gatherings of more than two people and those out of their home without a good excuse. 

At 6pm yesterday police attended a single vehicle car accident in Lavington, north of the Victoria border. The only occupant, a 56-year-old man, allegedly told police that he was on his way to meet a drug dealer when questioned why he wasn't home. 

The man was issued a Penalty Infringement Notice for not complying with the Public Health Order, as well as being charged for driving while disqualified. 

While shopping for essential items is allowed, eating a kebab in public is not according to police, who fined a man caught downing his meal on Market Street in Newcastle yesterday.

Exercise is certainly allowed under the new rules, but when police were allegedly told by a pair of men drinking alcohol in a Batehaven park that they were exercising, cops found it hard to believe. The 41 and 44-year-old were fined after they became abusive towards police.

The new laws, which aim to flatten to curve of coronavirus transmissions, say people must stay at home unless they have a reasonable excuse, including work, exercise and shopping for essential items.

Updates

7:51 pm April 2, 2020 Highlight

NSW cases revealed by postcode, suburb

Jessica McSweeney

New figures reveal for the first time a full breakdown of confirmed COVID-19 cases by suburb – revealing the real battlegrounds against the deadly virus.

While Bondi has attracted much of the attention the fresh data shows the likes of Mosman, Gosford and Wentworthville as the front lines.

The 2145 postcode, which takes in Greystanes, Wentworthville, Girraween and Westmead in Sydney’s western suburbs, has a staggering 26 cases as has the 2250 postcode covering Gosford, Erina and Kariong on the state’s Central Coast.

Check out the full suburb breakdown here from Eliza Barr.

7:40 am July 22, 2020

Ben James

NSW Police have dished out 13 fines to people flouting the public health order urging people to stay home.

The fines include:

-Two men (19 and 21-year-old) who ran from police when they were approached by the side of the road in Artarmon. They did not have a reasonable excuse for not being home.

-A 51-year-old man involved in a single vehicle crash in Lavington. The man was taken to hospital for drug and alcohol testing after admitting he was on his way to meet a drug dealer. Police fined him for breaching the public health order.

-A 21-year-old Newcastle man was told by police three times to go home, before being fined after they caught him eating a kebab on a bench.

-A 34-year-old woman was fined in Moree after failing to give a reasonable excuse for being out after she was pulled over for a random breath test.

-A car with five people in it was pulled over in Coonamble and given a verbal warning, but later one if its occupants, a 21-year-old woman, was found wandering the streets with no excuse.

-A man was fined after being warned to stay home in the Orana area.

-A 28-year-old man was told to self quarantine after returning from New Zealand, but was fined when a police welfare check revealed he was not at his Gundegai home.

-When police were allegedly told by a pair of men drinking alcohol in a Batehaven park that they were exercising, cops found it hard to believe. The 41 and 44-year-old were fined after they became abusive towards police.

-A 32-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man were fined in Musswelbrook after failing to give a good excuse for being in their car.

-The 57-year-old woman who operates a massage parlour in Cardiff was fined $5000 for failing to comply with the public health order.

7:07 pm April 2, 2020 Highlight

All the fines police dished out yesterday

Jessica McSweeney

NSW Police have dished out 13 fines to people flouting the public health order urging people to stay home.

The fines include:

-Two men (19 and 21-year-old) who ran from police when they were approached by the side of the road in Artarmon. They did not have a reasonable excuse for not being home.

-A 51-year-old man involved in a single vehicle crash in Lavington. The man was taken to hospital for drug and alcohol testing after admitting he was on his way to meet a drug dealer. Police fined him for breaching the public health order.

-A 21-year-old Newcastle man was told by police three times to go home, before being fined after they caught him eating a kebab on a bench.

-A 34-year-old woman was fined in Moree after failing to give a reasonable excuse for being out after she was pulled over for a random breath test.

-A car with five people in it was pulled over in Coonamble and given a verbal warning, but later one if its occupants, a 21-year-old woman, was found wandering the streets with no excuse.

-A man was fined after being warned to stay home in the Orana area.

-A 28-year-old man was told to self quarantine after returning from New Zealand, but was fined when a police welfare check revealed he was not at his Gundegai home.

-When police were allegedly told by a pair of men drinking alcohol in a Batehaven park that they were exercising, cops found it hard to believe. The 41 and 44-year-old were fined after they became abusive towards police.

-A 32-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man were fined in Musswelbrook after failing to give a good excuse for being in their car.

-The 57-year-old woman who operates a massage parlour in Cardiff was fined $5000 for failing to comply with the public health order.

6:48 pm April 2, 2020

NSW beaches that are still open

Jessica McSweeney

Sydney’s heavily congested surf breaks have been left abandoned after closures to NSW’s most iconic beaches — but there are plenty of beaches that remain open across the state.

Bondi Beach, Maroubra and Bronte were all closed after crowds flouted social distancing rules leaving surfers hanging about where they could catch their next wave.

See the full list of beaches still open from Mitchell Van Homrigh and Carla Hildebrandt.

2:33 pm July 20, 2020

Emerton Youth Recreation Centre sew 100 hearts for the 1,000 Hearts Project!

Ben James

Devoted grandmother Janet Lieben died a solitary death from the coronavirus in a hospital ICU cubicle with her infected husband locked in isolation doors away.

"He was absolutely distraught, he's inconsolable," an Orange Base Hospital source said.

"He couldn't comfort her, he's sick himself with the virus, there was nothing he could do but let her go, it's broken his heart."

Effervescent retired factory worker, Janet 67, and husband Jerry, a retired senior non-commissioned officer with the Australian Army, had been on the Ruby Princess cruise that docked at Sydney Harbour after an 11 day round trip to NZ and were ordered into self-isolation at their home in Blayney, NSW on March 19.

Read the full story via Danielle Gusmaroli here.

6:12 pm April 2, 2020

Flight emissions to halve

Jessica McSweeney

Domestic aviation emissions could halve because of coronavirus restrictions, new analysis shows.

A report by think-tank the Australia Institute found international travel emissions dropped by about 10.3 megatonnes or 4.3 per cent on the previous year from February to March.

Aviation amounts to about two per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions and aren’t included in the Paris Agreement.

Instead the industry has a separate deal, for net zero emissions growth from the baseline year of 2020.

International Air Transport Association has projected a 38 per cent cut to air travel in 2020 which equates to a 352.7 Mt fall in global civil aviation emissions compared to last year.

Locally, if most Qantas and Virgin planes are grounded for nine months emissions could decrease by up to 13.2 Mt or 56 per cent compared to 2019.

The Australia Institute’s Richie Merzian says it remains to be seen if COVID-19 will permanently change flying habits.

“With the travel and quarantine restrictions in place, there has been an increased demand for alternative solutions – services like teleconferencing system Zoom recorded more active users in the first two months of 2020 than in all of 2019,” he said.

“If we can work well together online now, perhaps it will permanently reduce the need for business travel and so emissions over the long term.”

-AAP

5:45 pm April 2, 2020

Government launches new job site

Georgia Clark

A new website has been launched to help people who have lost their jobs in the wake of COVID-19 find work.

The jobactive.gov.au site lists all job vacancies and can be filtered by your location so you can connect with jobs near you.

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said the site, launched by the government, is essential in the wake of the unfolding economic crisis.

“These are critical jobs that will contribute to keeping the economy going and keeping as many Australians in work as possible,” she said.

It comes after more than a million Australians lost their jobs following the economic fallout from the pandemic.

While many sectors are struggling to stay afloat, others, like healthcare and manufacturing are booming.

Employers hoping to connect with potential workers can directly contact the Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

“If you are hiring, particularly scaling up your workforce quickly, I encourage you to email our workforce contact centre so you can be connected with the support you need to get your workforce on board,” Senator Cash said.

-with AAP

5:23 pm April 2, 2020 Highlight

Orange Base Hospital death linked to Ruby Princess

Devoted grandmother Janet Lieben died a solitary death from the coronavirus in a hospital ICU cubicle with her infected husband locked in isolation doors away.

"He was absolutely distraught, he's inconsolable," an Orange Base Hospital source said.

"He couldn't comfort her, he's sick himself with the virus, there was nothing he could do but let her go, it's broken his heart."

Effervescent retired factory worker, Janet 67, and husband Jerry, a retired senior non-commissioned officer with the Australian Army, had been on the Ruby Princess cruise that docked at Sydney Harbour after an 11 day round trip to NZ and were ordered into self-isolation at their home in Blayney, NSW on March 19.

Read the full story via Danielle Gusmaroli here.

5:09 pm April 2, 2020

Can your pet give you coronavirus?

Jessica McSweeney

Australians are being urged not to rehome their pets throughout the coronavirus pandemic out of fear of contracting the disease.

It is “highly unlikely” cats and dogs will be infected.

That is the message from Your Vet Online’s Dr Leigh Davidson, following reports pets were being thrown from balconies in China and a preliminary study finding cats and ferrets were highly susceptible to contracting COVID-19.

Read the expert Q and A here.

4:41 pm April 2, 2020

Dami Im hits out at anti-Asian racists

Jessica McSweeney

Singer Dami Im has hit back at racists trolling her social media who are blaming Asians for the coronavirus.

Horrified by some of the viral videos she has seen targeting “bat eaters”, Im has called for compassion and kindness in what is a difficult time for all Australians.

“For me personally, these blatant abusive messages are one thing but there are also other people posting everywhere (online) about who to blame and those kinds of things, it is this subtle racist undertone to so much of the anger,” Im told The Daily Telegraph.

Read the full interview via Jonathon Moran here.