COVID-19: Drones to keep watch on potential crowd hot spots on northern beaches

Eye-in-the-sky surveillance drones will be used to cut the risk of catching COVID-19 on the northern beaches this summer. Check out the 25 drone-operating areas here.

Drones, piloted by Surf Life Saving NSW, will help authorities monitor crowd numbers at popular beaches and parks on the northern beaches to stop the potential spread of COVID-19. Picture; Supplied

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Drones will be used over summer to check crowd numbers at potential COVID-19 spreading hot spots on the northern beaches.

The eye-in-the-sky surveillance begins on Saturday across the 25 most popular beaches and parks to make sure people are sticking to social distancing rules.

If the drones, piloted by surf life savers, find that crowds are getting too big, or too close to each other, police and council rangers will move in to close the beach or park and move people on.

Northern Beaches Council will close beaches and parks if the drones show that crowd capacity numbers have been reached this summer. Picture: Damian Shaw

Even the controversial popular weekend Manly gathering spot, East Esplanade – known to locals as ‘The Office’ – will be watched by a drone.

The joint initiative by Northern Beaches Council and Surf Life Saving NSW is just part of the council’s “COVID-19 Summer Action Plan for Outdoor Public Spaces” ahead of what is expected to be a bumper summer on the beaches.

To help keep stop the spread of coronavirus the plan allows for the council to increase patrols by rangers and its lifeguards to make sure beachgoers, and people in other public gathering places like parks, are following social distancing rules.

Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steven Pearce and Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan at the launch at Manly Beach of the joint Surf Life Saving NSW/Northern Beaches Council initiative to keep beaches and parks COVID-Safe this summer. Picture: Northern Beaches Council

High-resolution images taken by the unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, will be sent to the council and the new SLSNSW State Operations Centre where beach attendance data will be recorded.

People at Manly beach, 21st March, 2020. The council will set up extra flagged swimming areas on beaches to help keep people apart. Picture: Damian Shaw

A Beach Safety Working Group has been set up with representatives from the council, Surf Life Saving, Northern Beaches Police and NSW Health. It will meet each week over summer to review figures from the previous weekend and public holiday and work out if a response is needed.

Current NSW Public Health Orders recommend people keep at least 1.5m away from each other where possible. This does not apply to people living in the same household.

The northern beaches’ safety plan also includes more cleaning of public places; an ongoing review of parking restrictions to reduce beach numbers; more signs in public places; more announcements by lifeguards and messages on social media channels.

Authorities will quickly close down beaches if they think social distancing rules are being breached. Picture: Damian Shaw

As part of the plan, the council’s lifeguard co-ordinator would set up additional flagged swimming areas on beaches “as required and where practical to reduce crowd density”.

The plan includes crowd capacity figures for beaches, based on social distancing rules.

At Manly beach, for example, the estimated crowd threshold at low tide is 4000 people, while at high tide it would reduce to 2500.

A drone, with video camera attached, in flight at the launch at Manly Beach of the joint Surf Life Saving NSW/Northern Beaches Council initiative to keep beaches and parks COVID-Safe this summer. Picture: Northern Beaches Council

Mayor Michael Regan said the council had sought the partnership with Surf Life Saving to increase the chances of beaches and parks staying COVID-safe and open.

“Our aim is to keep our popular beaches and parks open so locals and visitors alike can enjoy them to the full this summer,” Cr Regan said.

“Using this real time data we can even more effectively manage our public spaces and reduce the COVID risk to beachgoers.”

SLSNSW CEO Stephen Pearce said it was going to be a “a massive season on the NSW coastline”.

“Nobody, least of all surf lifesavers, wants to close beaches, so the more information we can give people about beach attendance, ahead of them arriving on the sand to find it nearing COVID-safe attendance limits, the better.”

The drones will be used on weekends and public holidays only until December 21, then daily until January 31, 2021.

They will then operate on weekends and public holidays only until February 28.

BEACH AND PARKS WITH DRONE OPERATIONS

Beaches

Little Manly Beach & Reserve

Shelly Beach

Manly Beach

North Steyne

Queenscliff

Freshwater + Reserve

South Curl Curl

Dee Why + Grass + James Meehan Reserve

Long Reef

Collaroy + Reserve

Narrabeen

North Narrabeen

Warriewood

Mona Vale

Bungan Beach

Newport

Bilgola

Avalon

Whale Beach

Palm Beach.

Other Areas

Clontarf

Apex Park – Mona Vale

East and West Esplanade (Manly)

Governor Phillip Park – Palm Beach

Winnererremy Bay Reserve – Bayview

Locations nearing capacity or where access is restricted can be viewed using the Beachsafe website and Beachsafe App.