Melbourne lockdown: Police set up Coldstream roadblock as coronavirus restrictions comeback
With the Yarra Valley sitting on the outskirts of Melbourne’s lockdown, police have clamped down on community movements. Here’s the latest on where they’ll be.
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A popular route to Yarra Valley wine country has been transformed into a police roadblock as part of the hard border around Melbourne to clamp down on people leaving lockdown areas.
This comes hours after coronavirus Stage 3 restrictions were revived for people living in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire.
Yarra Ranges sits on the outer eastern border of the lockdown perimeter.
Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton announced another 700 officers would join Operation Sentinel.
As part of the operation police have set up stops to police community movements and randomly pull cars over to check if their occupants are complying with lockdown restrictions.
On social media Coldstream CFA shared a photo of the roadblock in the centre of the town, which many people drive through heading away from Lilydale to tourist hotspots Healesville and Yarra Glen — and out of the Yarra Ranges.
“Coldstream this morning — shows they mean business #STAYATHOME,” the post said.
The roadblock elicited a mixed response from the Yarra Valley online community with some people believing coronavirus posed a minimal risk to lives, while others urged everyone to stay home.
On a Facebook community noticeboard one man said: “More people in one day die from suicidal (sic) then all the covid19 in Australia. This lockdown is bullshit.”
While another person could not believe people were ignoring restrictions.
“Don’t people get the seriousness of this pandemic?” they said.
Leader spoke to Mooroolbark police Senior Sergeant Peter Muys, head of the Yarra Valley police stations, and he said check points were being run to “vet” people driving in and out of the area.
“The boundaries of these Stage 3 restrictions include the Yarra Ranges,” he said.
Sen-Sgt Muys said check points would not always be at the very borders but could be done in areas such as Coldstream where drivers were passing through.
He said while the policing strategy across the Yarra Ranges was still being co-ordinated, officers would be focusing on positive connections with the community.
Sen-Sgt Muys said blatant breaches of restrictions would not be tolerated.
“We’re expecting the public to take this seriously,” Sen-Sgt Muys said.
“No one wants this to go on for longer than necessary.”
Police were expecting a number of reports of people flouting restrictions during the weekend, he said.
“You could call them dobbers, but you could also call them people just trying to help,” he said.
“The repercussions of people getting together can be enormous physically, emotionally, personally and economically.
“They don’t want the hurt to go on any longer.”
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