Two women are among 59 people issued with PINs for breaching a public health order on Tuesday, after being caught more than 200km from their homes, allegedly without a reasonable excuse.
Just after 2pm, police stopped a vehicle on Torrens Avenue, The Entrance, as it displayed Queensland registration plates.
A subsequent check of the woman’s driver’s licence revealed she lived in the Shellharbour area.
When police asked her why she was in the area, she confirmed she ‘was aware of the public health order but was on holiday’.
The woman was arrested and taken to Wyong Police Station where she was issued a $1000 Penalty Infringement Notice for not complying with noticed direction re section 7/8/9 – COVID-19 and charged with an outstanding arrest warrant.
She was refused bail to appear before Wyong Local Court yesterday.
About 12pm yesterday, officers attached to Port Stephens-Hunter Police District spoke to a 26-year-old woman in the carpark of a hotel on Tomaree Street, Nelson Bay.
Police established the woman resided in Sydney’s CBD and that she was in the area to visit a friend.
She was subsequently issued a $1000 PIN and was directed to immediately return to Sydney.
State Emergency Operations Controller, Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys, said ‘now is not the time for people in locked down areas to be travelling around the state.’
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A travel company has been issued a $5000 Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN) for breaching a public health order after taking three busloads of tourists to Western Plains Zoo on Monday.
About 9.30am, three buses arrived at the zoo on Obley Road, Dubbo, police said.
On board were 128 staff and guests – at least 76 of whom were not permitted to travel outside Greater Sydney under the current public health order.
Staff at the zoo refused to allow the travellers off the buses and police were called.
Officers from Orana Mid-Western Police District attended and spoke to tour operators, establishing the group had left Sydney on Friday, June 25, and had continued to travel throughout regional NSW after the Public Health Orders were updated on Saturday.
The guests were directed to return home immediately.
State Emergency Operations Controller, Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys, said the company owner told police he was aware of the public health orders but decided to continue the tour as planned anyway.
“But the staff at the zoo did exactly the right thing – they isolated the risk and alerted police.
They did a great job to protect the local community,” Deputy Commissioner Worboys said.
Investigations into further possible breaches are continuing.
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In other incidents, a man and woman have been charged with offences including assault after they allegedly refused to check in with a QR code when entering a restaurant at Forster.
About 7.15pm on Monday the couple attended the Wharf Street restaurant and were asked by staff to sign in using the QR code, police said.
They refused and were informed they would have to leave if they did not comply. It is alleged the man again refused and picked up a bottle of water and threw it against a wall, smashing it.
The man was escorted from the restaurant and it is further alleged the man punched the owner, a 39-year-old man.
The woman allegedly bit a 44-year-old man who was attempting to intervene, causing bleeding and bruising to his bicep.
The owner sustained facial injuries and a suspected broken nose and was taken to Manning Base Hospital.
The man and woman left the restaurant.
However, officers from Manning/Great Lakes Police District arrested both a short time later, and took them to Forster Police Station.
The 34-year-old man was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, affray, intimidation and malicious damage.
The 27-year-old woman was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
They were granted conditional bail and are expected to appear in Forster Local Court on Wednesday, July 28.
They were each issued $1000 PINs for failing to comply with a noticed direction.
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