Bondi COVID testing: Dimitri Moskovich petitions to reclaim carpark
A Bondi strongman who was arrested for breaching COVID-19 restrictions has taken aim at a carpark testing tent.
NSW
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A Bondi strongman who was arrested for breaching COVID-19 restrictions has started a petition to scrap a drive-through testing clinic, claiming it is “a spit in the face of residents”.
The Bondi Beach carpark clinic has tested thousands of people since the virus began spreading in Sydney in March. Cars queued for hours at the peak of the pandemic as NSW Health staff manned the facility from 9am-5pm everyday.
NSW has not recorded a community transmission case of coronavirus in almost a month but health experts are still urging the public to get tested if they display symptoms.
However Bondi strongman Dimitri Moskovich, who is facing criminal charges for breaching coronavirus restrictions, said most days the testing clinic was near-empty and wants the area to be reopened as a carpark.
“I am a beach lover. I love Bondi Beach, I respect Bondi Beach. I am here everyday and I can see that it was a long time ago that the testing clinic was busy. It has become a waste of space because very little cars go through,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“The clinic is taking away from the locals and the people who want to come to the beach. “Having it empty feels like it is a spit in the face of the residents – it is a huge disrespect to the beach goers. It is very upsetting, it is a waste everyday.
“We are not against testing. We understand there is a need for testing but there has to be a better way.”
St Vincent’s Health has ran the clinic since it was first set up earlier this year and has tested more than 57,000 people, likely saving scores of lives in the process.
“It is widely acknowledged that NSW Health has been a world-leader in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by limiting community transmission rates. A key component of this work has been access to community testing,” a St Vincent’s spokesman said in response to the online push.
“Recently, St Vincent’s worked with Waverley Council to establish a larger shelter to provide for greater testing capacity - able to test 16 cars simultaneously - 4 cars deep, 4 wide.
“In doing so, the St Vincent’s clinic now has the capacity to conduct around 2,500 tests per day in the event of another major surge in community screening demand.
“Importantly, its extra coverage is providing our frontline testing nurses with much better shelter from the hot and stormy summer predicted, while they continue to keep our community safe.”
Waverley Councillor Leon Goltsman wants to explore opening up the 150 car park spaces he says the clinic occupies.
“We’re definitely not out of danger but we are certainly not in the same situation as before,” Cr Goltsman said.
“We need to move on slowly and carefully, taking pro-active steps towards normality.
“When police do random breath testing it doesn’t mean they stop after a while, they find better locations.
“We’ve outgrown it, we should be looking at improving it, I think a better location would actually improve testing.”
Mr Moskovich has started an online petition which has more than 370 signatures.
“Parking at the beach has been our privilege for many many many years, and who are you to just take it away?! We demand our parking back now!,” a description of the petition said.
The 54-year-old is a cult figure at Bondi’s outdoor gym often wearing a pair of red Speedos during his workouts on the famous strip.
He is currently before the courts after being arrested in April for allegedly breaching COVID-19 restrictions.
Police allege he walked through fencing near a rock platform at Ben Buckler Point and ignored local council signs stating the area was closed.
Mr Moskovich appeared in Waverley Local Court in July and entered not guilty pleas to two charges of resisting an officer in the execution of duty and failing to comply with the terms of a notice erected by a council.
Video footage of the arrest shows about a dozen people watching and filming the incident while Mr Moskovich had his hands pulled behind his back.
The matter returns to court on March 26.
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Originally published as Bondi COVID testing: Dimitri Moskovich petitions to reclaim carpark
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