Virus on the rise with a spike in Mornington as locals flout 5km from home exercise rules
With an abundance of parks, boardwalks and beaches at their fingertips, sticking to the 5km from home rule while exercising should be simple for most peninsula people. But a little known detail about the rule is tripping up many.
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“Confused” walkers are flouting Stage 4 restrictions by driving to their favourite exercise spots across Mornington and Mount Martha.
Mornington Constable Oscar Stevenson said car parks in the area were full of people unaware that driving to a park or reserve for a walk was banned under the 5km from home rules.
Constable Stevenson said police had issued countless warnings at car parks and a handful of fines.
He said the approach had been lenient to begin with because many people appeared confused about the restrictions.
“If people continue to break the rules the number of fines will increase,” he said.
People driving their dogs to off leash parks and dog beaches was a particular problem, Constable Stevenson said.
“Unless your dog has some kind of medical exemption, driving it to a park – even if that park is within a 5km radius from your home – is not allowed,” he said.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services exemptions to the Chief Health Officer’s directions only apply where “it is not reasonably practicable to exercise without driving somewhere, such as mobility difficulties or safety reasons”.
The warning from police to follow the rules comes after the number of active cases on the Mornington Peninsula surged by 36 in the past seven days.
Infections in northern neighbour Frankston (95, +6) have increased by 25 during the same period.
Mornington Peninsula cases included a Woolworths worker at Benton’s Square, who tested positive to the virus after last working at the Mornington East supermarket on August 5.
There are also unconfirmed reports of an outbreak at a Mornington aged care home.
The Leader understands up to 15 cases have been linked to the centre’s dementia unit.
The increasing number of cases in the region bucks the state wide trend, which has seen infections drop across most council areas.
Authorities are confident the number of daily new cases will continue to fall further — with some experts expecting them to drop below 100 within two weeks — as the effects of the latest lockdown laws are realised.
The number is now trending consistently lower than it had been in the lead-up to the introduction of stage four restrictions.
The current drop in numbers has been attributed to stage three restrictions and mandatory mask regulations.
Premier Daniel Andrews said there was good cause for people to be hopeful about the future.
“We can’t afford for any sense of complacency to creep in here. We just have to keep pushing forward each and every day,” he said.
“This is a long way from over.”
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