Covid 19 coronavirus: Police disrupt Bronte Beach party in Sydney

Riot police were called to Bronte Beach in Sydney on Christmas afternoon to disband hundreds of people who were hosting a party in defiance of coronavirus restrictions.

A crowd of young people, many dressed in Santa hats, were seen singing and dancing before the police dispersed them around 5pm.

Lucy Meyer, who witnessed the scene, said that everyone was singing so loudly that she “could still hear them from a 10-minute walk.”

“There were about 200 to 300 partying on the grass,” Meyer said.

“There were a lot of cops around, but they didn’t seem to be doing anything to break up the crowd.

“It is clearly against public health guidelines and puts people at risk at a time when so many Sydney residents have sacrificed their vacation plans to protect others.”

New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard criticized the group as “ignorant” and said it was “beyond belief” that they would risk meeting in large numbers and risk spreading the virus.

“I have the desire for a youthful Christmas exuberance, but this is as irresponsible, ignorant and idiotic as it sounds,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

“It is a Covid-19 incubator with enormous potential.”

NSW recorded its fourth consecutive day of single-digit local Covid-19 cases on Christmas Day.

The outbreak now totals 118 total cases, 108 of which are associated with the Avalon group on the northern beaches.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned that the state “is not out of the woods yet.”