Council workers caught sitting side-by-side at picnic table in middle of the coronavirus pandemic

A group of council workers have been spotted blatantly ignoring the strict social distancing rules which have been put in place to stop the spread of the deadly COVID-19.

Gold Coast City Council workers flouting social distancing rules at Budds Beach about 2pm on Thursday, March 26, 2020. Picture: Tertius Pickard.

A GROUP of council workers have been spotted blatantly ignoring the strict social distancing rules which have been put in place to stop the spread of the deadly COVID-19.

Six workers were spotted crammed into one picnic table while they had lunch at Budds Beach in Surfers Paradise just after 2pm.

A photo snapped of them shows lunch boxes under their seats as they smile while sitting side-by-side on the benches.

Their arms are almost touching.

The workers were clearly not the recommended 1.5m away from each other.

The Gold Coast City Council have been repeatedly urging people to either stay home if possible or remain at least 1.5m away from others.

The council closed playgrounds, cut off power to barbecues and stopped a number of services in an attempt to “flatten the curve” of the pandemic.

Earlier this week Mayor Tom Tate urged hyper vigilance when it came to going out.

“Hygiene and social distancing needs to be front of mind. If you don’t need to go out – don’t. Call your grandparents instead of visiting,” he said.

“It’s going to be a tough few months but we are all in this together and need to all follow some simple rules to avoid mass infection like has occurred in some parts of the world.”

A city spokeswoman said yesterday it was “disappointing to see our staff not adhering to vital health and safety advice”.

“In recent weeks we have sent out regular emails to all City staff, and outdoor staff have also been verbally reminded about the vital important of social distancing,” she said.

The spokeswoman said all staff would be reminded of their obligation to socially distance.