Coronavirus Melbourne: Mornington Peninsula tells visitors to stay away
Signs telling tourists and part-time residents to stick to their own postcodes have sprung up in Rye, Sorrento and Rosebud. As coronavirus cases rise and fallout from the ‘Colorado cluster’ continues, the peninsula’s “keep out” movement is growing.
South East
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Angry Mornington Peninsula locals have a sent a clear message to day-trippers and part-time residents – stay away.
Signs popped up across the southern peninsula over the weekend telling visitors to “stay in their own postcodes” as the number of coronavirus cases reported in the region grew to 45.
The signs were seen at the end of the Mornington Peninsula Freeway in Rosebud and by the busy roundabout at Browns and Boneo roads.
Roundabouts along Melbourne Rd in Rye were graffitied with the messages “Go home – locals only” and “COVID-19 ain’t a holiday”.
The fallout from the Colorado ski trip cluster has also continued to fester among Portsea high flyers.
Signs telling those who were part of the group “You should of stayed in Aspen” were spotted at Sorrento Sailing Coutta Boatclub and at surf beaches on the Westernport side of the peninsula.
Sorrento man David Barker urged locals to maintain their rage against day-trippers, cyclists and part-time residents flitting between their peninsula holiday houses and Melbourne’s “leafy suburbs”.
“Do not let up with your anger at those coming down here for the day or their beach house,” he posted.
“I say that because our only medical emergency centre is Rosebud Hospital and they would not have the capacity to treat the epidemic.
“Those using their holiday house will go back to the leafy suburbs and be close to the specialists and the expert medical help that we will not have.”
Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Sam Hearn agreed that the region was not equipped to deal with a holiday-sized population during the coronavirus pandemic.
He said health and social services would cope with the needs of the population that “had to be here” but he asked those had other options to stay home.
A petition calling for all short-stay accommodation and holiday rentals to be banned was started by Mornington Peninsula resident Heather Forbes McKeon on Sunday night and had garnered more than 1000 signatures in less than 24 hours.
Social media was also flooded with calls for immediate action to stop the stream of visitors arriving early for Easter.
“The stream of traffic going past my place near Nepean Highway, Blairgowrie, makes it sound like Christmas time again,” one woman posted.
“We need a gate,” another said.
Cr Hearn said the council did not have the power to lock down postcodes.
“That’s up to the state government,” he said.
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He said despite the council closing the beaches on Saturday morning many had ignored the directive and shire rangers were kept busy all weekend helping police move people on.
“The destination beaches including those at Rye and Flinders and even some of the back beaches were still as busy as they would be normally when we have good weather,” he said.
“Obviously I didn’t do a poll but the numbers would suggest that the people on the beach and in the water weren’t all locals.
“Our beaches that are used mainly by locals, such as the ones in Mt Martha, Mornington and Mt Eliza were much less of a problem.”