Covid-19 coronavirus: fury over Sydney’s ‘brutal’ scenes amid outbreak

Shocking scenes have emerged from Boxing Day shoppers at Parramatta Westfield in western Sydney.

A video posted on Twitter by @nasemallam showed the main mall packed with shoppers. Although some were seen wearing masks, most did not meet the social distancing requirements.

“This turns my stomach; we’ll see the effects of this in a few days at Westmead,” read a reply.

“As a Victorian, this is heartbreaking. We stayed home for months, missed out on seeing family and friends while the rest of the country enjoyed life and looked down on us. Couldn’t NSW stay home for a week ?! They even allowed you 10 adults for Christmas! “Shared another user.

A resident of the closed Sydney suburb of Avalon (on the North Beaches) also shared a photo of an empty main street, writing: “This is Avalon on a Sunday afternoon though, we are all more than happy to keep North of the North beaches closed a little more to this madness ”.

The mall scenes come as NSW recorded seven local Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to Boxing Day, all of which were linked to northern beaches (six as part of the Avalon group and the seventh under investigation).

New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard had previously denounced revelers at an impromptu party in Bronte Beach on Christmas Day. Hundreds of people gathered at Bronte Beach Park and were seen dancing and drinking in tight circles.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, Hazzard, this behavior could trigger the next “super spreader event”.

“The people of the northern beaches have been doing their part, big time, to keep not only themselves but the rest of Sydney safe,” he said.

“Let me tell you, that event, I hope it doesn’t become a high-profile event. But it has every chance that it will.”

Ironically, at the same press conference, both New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian and New South Wales Medical Director Kerry Chant thanked residents for not entering the CBD amid concerns from a next group.

“Obviously the number of people dropped substantially and we are deeply grateful,” said Berejiklian.

“We know that the strategy we have today is working and I really want to thank everyone for trying so hard and working so hard during what is often a time when we are all coming together.”

More shocking photos emerge from Sydney’s Boxing Day sales

Following the packed photos of Sydney’s Parramatta Westfield, it seems shoppers flocked to Sydney’s CBD shops as well.

Photos taken by Sydney photographer Mark Kriedemann at 1pm on Boxing Day show that many New South Wales residents did not follow the prime minister’s orders to stay home.

On Christmas Day, Gladys Berejiklian asked shoppers to avoid CBD due to unrelated cases from nearby workers and people visiting the Paragon Hotel Sports Bar.

“We want to discourage people from going to CBD tomorrow, limit your activity. If you go CBD shopping, make sure you wear a mask,” he said.

“Think twice before going to the CBD tomorrow … because there are people who come from all over Sydney who come to one place.”