Central Coast coronavirus: Locals urged to report tourists to police
The Easter weekend is a time when the coast should be buzzing with out-of-towners, however instead of welcoming tourists locals are being urged to report them to police.`
Central Coast
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Central Coast residents are being urged to “dob in tourists” in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus across the region.
With reports of Sydneysiders flocking to the coast’s most popular holiday spots – including Pearl Beach, Killcare, Avoca and Macmasters Beach – the coast has been encouraged to be the eyes and ears for police in the light of travel bans.
Central Coast Parliamentary Secretary Adam Crouch has called on locals to report tourists to Crime Stoppers.
“The current Public Health Order bans travelling for the purposes of taking a holiday, but this message is not getting through to tourists,” Mr Crouch said.
“Dozens of residents in Killcare, Macmasters Beach and other beachside suburbs have contacted me to express concerns about tourists visiting their local area. My message is simple. Tourists need to go home and stay home.
Penalties for breaching travel bans include $11,000 or six months jail.
“Local police have been proactively contacting accommodation providers, but keeping a check on Stayz and Airbnb rental properties is difficult,” Mr Crouch said.
Locals are already starting to take action, with the launch of a Facebook page titled NSW Central Coast. Stay Home. Do Not Enter.
The discussion page was started to “help flatten the COVID-19 curve” and posts important information about laws around social distancing and travel.
The coast has a popular Airbnb market, especially close to the beaches, with vacancies in the lead up to Easter.
Airbnb’s Country Manager for Australia Susan Wheeldon has warned Australians to follow guidance and avoid unnecessary travel, particularly to regional areas this weekend. She said Airbnb had also asked hosts to adhere to the advice.
“This is an incredibly challenging time for all Australians and we’re calling on both guests and hosts on our platform to play a positive role in slowing the spread of COVID-19,” Ms Wheeldon said.
“That means closely following health and travel guidance from local authorities, especially when it comes to strictly limiting movements to essential travel only.”
She said Airbnb had been discouraging hosts from inappropriately marketing listings using terms related to COVID-19, such as “quarantine”.
Airbnb is also working to help healthcare and relief workers with appropriate accommodation along with stranded tourists and students.
Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific has taken to social media today, setting the record straight following rumours that they were booking out this weekend.
“We’d like to take a moment to correct that misinformation and assure you that we are obeying all restrictions regarding non-essential travel,” the post read.
“We have restricted the number of rooms on sale and we allocate those to essential travellers only. This means that some online booking websites will show in their results that there are only a few rooms left on sale, but please note that this refers to their allocation, not to the number of rooms available in the hotel.”
Gosford state Labor MP Liesl Tesch said a stronger messaging is needed to protect the community.
“I have requested that signage along motorways between the city and our regional areas, display warnings to travellers of the consequences if they don’t return to their homes, and that patrols near the exits of such roads be increased as a deterrent,” she said.
“I have written to Ministers Andrew Constance and Brad Hazzard asking that these further actions be taken to protect the Central Coast, particularly given our high density of older residents.
“By staying home and staying safe, you can help us keep our Central Coast community safe too.”