With bayside councils threatening the closing of beaches, a
beach party in Melbourne may have severely backfired for locals.
As temperatures soared, people were seen flocking to St Kilda beach on Friday in large
numbers, with one reveller grabbing Channel 7 journalist Paul Dowsley and kissing him on the face.
Peter Smith, Chief Executive of the Port Phillip Council, told The Age that his council will be forced
to close beaches to avoid large gatherings from happening until restrictions on October 19 are expected to ease.
They're the pictures that have health authorities on edge tonight – thousands of mask-free Melburnians flocking to beaches ahead of our warmest weekend in seven months. https://t.co/5zYfOfohG3 @paul_dowsley #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/0dLPhFf4IE
— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) October 2, 2020
“We are trying to prevent closure through a range of measures, however, we will only be able to keep our beaches and parks open if each person plays their part by sticking to the Chief Health Officer’s orders,” Mr Smith said.
Councils are also said to be flagging limits on car
parking near beaches in a bid to avoid huge crowds.
Yesterday, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews voiced his anger at the law breakers putting the hard
work of the state at risk, saying that “no one has the right” to act illegally.
“No one has the right to break the rules and potentially put at risk everything that good, decent, law-abiding Victorians have created, have built. All of their sacrifice has to be worth something,” he told reporters on Saturday.