Covid-19: Isolation violators and illicit weddings wreak havoc in Sydney

As Australia struggles to catch up with its latest Covid-19 outbreaks, a handful of people continue to make headlines for all the wrong reasons.

New South Wales has been battling another wave of Covid-19 following an outbreak on Sydney’s North Beaches, and the virus is now making a resurgence in other areas.

In an attempt to curb the number of infections, the state has imposed a series of restrictions in Sydney, such as the mandatory use of masks in certain indoor environments and capacity limits at events.

Despite the new outbreaks, some residents continue to break the rules and make headlines across the country.

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A couple who allegedly fled Melbourne airport after being told they had to self-quarantine faces fines of $ 38,000. The couple have disputed accusations by Victorian authorities that they fled the officers after arriving in Melbourne on a flight from Canberra, but have apologized for the ordeal. The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

A Sydney wedding operator also faces a $ 5,000 fine after up to 700 guests attended an event, violating a public health order.

An irate New South Wales Police Minister David Elliott told the media the situation was “puzzling” amid restrictions on the number of events. He said police would make sure the operator of the venue received the fine and that if challenged, the man risked six months in jail. 9 News reported.

The wedding is believed to have taken place not far from the suburb of Berala, which is where a new group emerged just before Christmas and has led to thousands of people being asked to isolate themselves.

In another incident, a woman was fined twice in three days after allegedly refusing to isolate herself despite being told she was a close contact for a confirmed Covid-19 case.

The 27-year-old woman from Sydney’s Cronulla was first fined $ 1000 by police on December 31 after they were notified that the woman was in close contact of a positive case, but was not self-isolating. while at a Byron Bay resort. The Guardian reported.

The police had previously given the woman advice on self-isolation and testing, and provided her with personal protective equipment (PPE) to wear. According to the news outlet, the police returned days later after it was reported that the woman was not isolating herself and had been swimming in the resort’s pool. They gave him another $ 1,000 fine, he reported.

Two other Sydney residents were also fined $ 1,000 each after being caught leaving their home on the North Beaches on January 2 to travel to Yamba on vacation. SMH reported.

The news outlet cited a police statement saying the couple did not have a legal excuse to leave their home and in doing so had violated the public health order.

Starting Monday, people in the greater Sydney, Wollongong, Central Coast and Blue Mountains area can be fined $ 200 if discovered without a mask in certain indoor settings, such as supermarkets.

On Monday, New South Wales reported no new local cases, however officials said the test numbers were “too low.” There were also two local cases that did not meet the 8 p.m. cut-off time for Monday’s number announcement, ABC reported.

Both cases were linked to the Berala group and would be included in Tuesday’s case numbers.

New South Wales Acting Prime Minister John Barilaro told the media that many more people needed to come forward for testing, saying “the numbers are too low.”

On Sunday, the state reported eight new cases, while the state of Victoria reported three new locally acquired cases on Monday.