Police arrest four people in inner-Melbourne for breaching COVID restrictions
Police have arrested four people for not wearing masks and gathering in a group at Queen Victoria Gardens on Saturday, while eight others were fined for breaching stage four coronavirus restrictions.
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Four maskless people have been arrested after a gathering in inner-Melbourne on Saturday.
Eight others were fined for health breaches after police moved on the group of 12 in East Melbourne at 12.10pm.
The dozen were gathered at the Janet Lady Clarke Rotunda in the Queen Victoria Gardens off Linlithgow Avenue.
Pictures taken by Sunday Herald Sun photographer Andrew Henshaw indicate those taken into custody were handcuffed by the officers.
It appeared the group had gathered as some form of protest.
A Victoria Police spokesman said: “Police have arrested four people and fined eight others for clear and blatant breaches of the Chief Health Officer’s directions after a small gathering in Melbourne East this morning.”
One of those spoken to was a helmet-wearing cyclist with a Stop Adani sticker on the back of his bike.
CHO breaches carry penalties of $1652.
Last month, two protesters were arrested and 18 fines issued after a small demonstration at The Shrine, nearby.
Twenty-four people without masks were among 161 fined statewide for health breaches in 24 hours to start the weekend.
Fifty-eight were pinged for breaching the 8pm to 5am curfew imposed under stage four lockdown.
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