Covid 19 coronavirus: Easter crowd on Pāpāmoa beach, Tauranga, scares the locals

A photo of Pāpāmoa beach on Good Friday afternoon has captured dozens of bathers strolling along the beach with little apparent regard for the closure.

The photo of Pāpāmoa beach, near Tauranga, taken around 3.30 p.m. It was sent by a dismayed audience member to the crowd on the first day of the Easter weekend.

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“I know we won’t be the only area with this problem, but seriously!” the member of the public wrote.

“This is what is going to burst the bubble. Not everyone was obviously ignoring the rules, but the Domain is overwhelming.”

In comparison, just 2 km north of Pāpāmoa Beach, on Mt Maunganui Beach, there were only two people.

Pāpāmoa Beach is about 11 km from Tauranga city center.

The New Zealand police district command center said they were not immediately aware of any concerns around Papamoa Beach this afternoon, but in a statement they said they wanted to remind people to keep up with their local activities.

“Most of the people in our community are following Level 4 restrictions regarding outdoor activities and we thank them for their efforts,” said a police spokesperson.

“However, we are aware of some cases where people have continued to go to local hot spots such as beaches.

“Our preference has been to speak to the public about the current restrictions, however, if people continue to violate the rules, our officers have the discretion to take enforcement action.”

“We continue to ask people not to go swimming or surfing or to do things that may require help if they end up in trouble, because that puts others at risk and puts pressure on our emergency services.”

Police previously said there had been a total of 583 infractions, 74 prosecutions, and 495 warnings issued since alert level 4 restrictions took effect last month.

Police have been in effect on New Zealand roads on Good Friday, arresting and questioning motorists about their reason for driving, and reminding opportunistic tourists of the closing rules that still exist.

Sergeant Andy Wallace said at an Auckland checkpoint that only three people were rejected for not having a valid reason to be out.

There were no official arrests or warnings.

He said that overall, people were extremely compliant and urged them to continue.

Earlier this week, new police commissioner Andrew Coster announced that officers will increase patrol and law enforcement during the Easter recess to ensure people are aware of the closure requirements.

His message was clearly clear: if he wasn’t out for an “essential” purpose, then he should be home.

“We know that many New Zealanders may have planned to catch up with friends and family this weekend or travel to traditional vacation destinations, but we urge anyone who is planning to do this, please change your plans and stay home,” he said.

“To help ensure that people are aware of the restrictions of the Health Law, the police will be outside and to verify that people travel only for essential purposes.”

Wallace and his team ran multiple checkpoints yesterday and stopped nearly 1,000 cars.

For the most part, he said, the drivers were essential service workers or had good reasons to be out – getting supplies or delivering them to vulnerable people.

Officers were primarily in place to educate people about the closure and why they should be home.

But they would take further action without hesitation if necessary.

• Covid19.govt.nz – The official government Covid-19 advisory website