Coronavirus: Fitness fanatics going the distance socially

As on most sunny days, the Tan running track resembled an outdoor catwalk on Monday as the fit and glamorous hit their strides.

Runners, walkers and pet owners keep their distance on the Tan track in Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

As on most sunny days, the Tan running track resembled an outdoor catwalk on Monday as the fit and glamorous hit their strides.

Just minutes earlier, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had declared Stage 3 isolation rules would be imposed to better contain the spread of coronavirus.

While the new hardline limits — banning gatherings of more than two people, aside from household groups — were still hours away, the fitness fanatics, young mums and regular joggers were keeping their 1.5m distance on the famed 3.8km track wrapping around Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

University student Bridget Ball was keeping a safe distance from her friend Georgia Hinton as they climbed the hill to Domain Road.

“I feel like everyone’s being ­really good, walking far apart,” she said.

Ms Hinton was impressed with how other people were taking the restrictions and said she had immediately noticed people going from larger groups into pairs.

“I haven’t seen anyone break the rules,” she said.

 

Lord mayor Sally Capp said the community’s health was the council’s highest priority and asked people to avoid using closed playgrounds and exercise equipment.

“Our 480ha of beautiful parks and gardens are still open,” she said. “People can walk and jog, and ride a bike where permitted — but please maintain 1.5m distance from other people and avoid gathering in groups.

“We all need to do our part and continue physical distancing to help slow the spread of the virus.”

Victoria and NSW will enforce restrictions on gatherings of more than two people. In Victoria, this means on-the-spot fines of up to $1652 for individuals and $9913 for businesses from midnight on Monday night.

Mr Andrews said people had only four acceptable reasons to leave their homes: “To get medical care, to go to work, for daily exercise and to go and buy the things you need when you need them.

“If everyone follows these rules, and they are as simple as they can be, then we will slow the spread of this virus, we will save lives, we will protect our health system, we will get through this together and we will get to the other side quicker.”

He said while many vulnerable people were at heightened risk, COVID-19 had killed otherwise healthy younger people overseas.

A group of men disregard the new laws on isolation in inner Brisbane. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

“This is not just about grandma, this is about all of us,” he said. “Unless you want to be burying an elderly relative or your best mate, or your parents … stay at home.”

Australia passed 4000 confirmed cases on Monday to reach 4203, including 1918 in NSW, 821 in Victoria, 689 in Queensland, 311 in WA, 305 in SA, 78 in the ACT, 66 in Tasmania and 15 in the Northern Territory.

Tasmania and the ACT recorded their first deaths, both of them women in their 80s, bringing the national death toll to 18.

In Brisbane, places usually filled with people on a Monday peak hour, such as the Queen Street Mall and South Bank Parklands, were sparsely populated. In the inner-city suburb of Fortitude Valley, a group of men had gathered to talk after visiting the nearby Wesley Mission.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said aside from essential work, food shopping, exercise or other vital needs, there was no need for members of the community to go outside, particularly those aged above 70: “If you’re over 70, you shouldn’t be leaving home at all.”

NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller said on-the-spot fines of $1000 could be used to enforce new rules being enacted at midnight, which would limit gatherings outdoors to no more than two people. Repeated breaches of these rules, or any others, could be taken to court, where six-month prison terms could be applied.

In Queensland, police will have extra powers to break up all gatherings of more than two people after a surge in complaints about noisy weekend parties in the state.