Coronavirus Victoria: Point Cook party fined $18k by police
A group of Melburnians, sprung by police for breaking coronavirus restrictions, posted their wild party all over social media.
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A group of Victorians kicked off their week with a ridiculously pricey party after police busted 11 of them gathered in the same house.
Police found the group gathered at a short term rental apartment in Point Cook, in Melbourne’s southwest, for a party Monday night.
Each partygoer was slapped with the usual $1652 fine from Victoria Police, totalling a whopping $18,172 for the group.
And now it’s been revealed the group also filmed their antics and posted them on Snapchat.
The videos showed the group partying in the apartment with disco lights and music, with captions including “tell me you don’t wanna (sic) be in this state! VIC all day!” and “Melbourne place to be! Undoubtedly!”
Parts of Victoria were put back into lockdown last week as the state’s coronavirus cases spiralled out of control.
The second lockdown meant Victorians living in metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire were no longer allowed visitors to their home, unless delivering care or essential services.
“You cannot make social visits to friends and family. You must stay home,” Victoria’s Department of Health advised.
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Over the past 24 hours, Victoria Police issued 88 fines to individuals for breaching the chief health officer’s directions.
Of the 88 fines, 24 were issued at vehicle checkpoints with police conducting 24,956 checks in Melbourne’s main arterial roads.
Police also conducted a further 5184 spot checks on people at homes, business and public places across the state.
A group of nine people gathered at a private residence in Melbourne’s CBD were also slapped with fines, with police also alleging suspected drug activity.
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews had a message to anyone still breaking coronavirus rules, as the state confirmed another 270 cases today.
“To everybody making great sacrifices I'm proud of you, I'm grateful, I'm very thankful,” he said.
“To those who aren't doing the right thing, you've got to improve your behaviour, make better choices, for you, your family and the entire community.
“The alternative is not acceptable to any of us and you will be fined if you are doing the wrong thing.”
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Police Minister Lisa Neville also had some frank words for Victorians last week.
“For those who want to blatantly and obviously and deliberately breach these directives of the chief health officer, police will be there,” Ms Neville told reporters last week.
“Whether you’re breaking your quarantine at home, whether you’re having parties, whether you’re having people over to your place or whether it’s about you trying to, for no good reason, go to regional Victoria, police will be there.”
The Melbourne lockdown is expected to last for six weeks, with locals only allowed to leave their homes for one of four reasons — shopping for essentials, care-giving, daily exercise, and school or work.
“We do have to have a hard border between those 31 metropolitan LGAs and Mitchell Shire, and regional Victoria,” Mr Andrews said, after announcing the lockdown.
“No one is pleased to be in that predicament, to having to confront those circumstances, but there is enormous benefit across regional Victoria if we can get that job done.”
Originally published as Coronavirus Victoria: Point Cook party fined $18k by police