Chapel Street coronavirus: Police fine Prahran Square drinkers, people getting dinner after curfew
Police are continuing to dish out coronavirus lockdown fines in the Chapel Street precinct, with a group of people drinking in nearby Prahran Square the latest to be caught.
Inner East
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A group of seven people have become Stonnington’s latest covidiots after they were caught boozing in Prahran Square.
Police dished out a $1652 fine to each member of the group after they were spotted at 6pm on Wednesday, August 12.
Prahran police Acting Senior Sergeant Neil Schlittler said 18 fines for breaching coronavirus restrictions were issued throughout Stonnington on the day.
Acting Sen-Sgt Schlittler said three women were also fined for gathering at a Toorak home overnight.
He said officers responded to a noise complaint at 4am on Thursday, August 13 and found the women drinking together in the home.
The latest fines come as officers continue to target the Chapel Street precinct after they noticed people trying to get a fast food fix after the 8pm curfew.
Acting Sen-Sgt Schlittler said officers had fined about 10 people each night in the Stonnington service area since the State Government introduced the curfew on July 31 to manage the coronavirus outbreak.
He said most people had been caught in or around Chapel St getting dinner or other items they deemed ‘essential’ such as cigarettes from convenience stores and petrol stations.
“Chapel St is eerily quiet at the moment, and detecting people who are breaching curfew is easy from our point of view,” Acting Sen-Sgt Schlittler said.
“Anyone who’s out and about, especially walking, they are easy to find … and they go home with an empty tummy and an infringement.”
“People get hungry and I understand that, but that’s why they have to plan their day a bit better.”
Acting Sen-Sgt Schlittler said curfew breakers had also often been found not wearing face masks.
“A lot of our staff are now working in the evenings trying to detect offences, and unless you have a valid excuse for being out, you will be fined by police,” he said.
Curfew breakers face a $1652 fine for being out without a valid reason and $200 for not wearing a face mask.
Chapel Street Precinct general manager Chrissie Maus said the majority of people were following Stage 4 lockdown restrictions and she admired the community’s resilience.
“We would encourage people to think of our businesses and people’s livelihoods, plus the lifelong dreams on the line,” she said.
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