Coronavirus: Removalists escape police charges following probe

After authorities threatened to ‘throw the book’ at three men who sparked Victoria’s fifth lockdown, the workers have escaped heavy fines.

CCTV footage showing the three NSW removalists at the Ariele Apartments, the cause of the current Covid-19 outbreak in Victoria. Picture: Channel 7

Three removalists from Sydney who sparked Melbourne’s fifth lockdown have escaped police punishment for their part in spreading the Delta variant of Covid-19 to Victoria.

One of the removalists will receive a minor $200 fine for a face mask breach, but the state’s department of health found the Sydney men did not breach Victorian laws.

CCTV footage showed the men from NSW arriving in two white vans at the Ariele Apartments in Maribyrnong, a suburb in Melbourne’s northwest, to deliver furniture on July 8.

They failed to wear face masks or socially distance while on the job and infected a man in his 60s who lived in the Ariele apartment complex. This man attended the MCG to watch Geelong play Carlton on July 10, where the virus spread.

Victoria Police revealed they would not charge the men after the state’s department of health completed their investigation.

“The investigation findings have been provided to Victoria Police for noting and to consider whether any further investigation is required in relation to other legislation,” a police spokeswoman said.

“Victoria Police has undertaken an assessment of the material provided and determined there is no evidence of other offending,” she said.

“As such, Victoria Police will not be taking any action and this matter is closed from a police perspective.”

Police received the results of the compliance and enforcement team’s investigation on Monday. It probed whether or not the removalists breached any of the Public Health and Wellbeing Act or CHO directions.

Victoria’s health department said they found no evidence the men committed any other offences.

“The Department of Health has completed its investigation into the case of the removalists who entered Victoria on July 8,” the a departmental spokeswoman said.

“Under the Stay Safe Directions, it is permitted to remove a face covering whilst undertaking strenuous work and a fine has been given to an individual for not wearing a mask in an indoor public setting
when they were not performing that work.

Victorian authorities initially said they would “throw the book” at the workers, after they were not forthcoming about their movements and slowed contact tracers down.

The men made a number of unusual stops through regional NSW and Victoria on their way to deliver the furniture in Victoria and then South Australia, including in Kalkallo and Ballan.

They also travelled to McLaren Vale for another delivery and the South Australian town of Tailem Bend.