Warning for Sydneysiders not to ‘congregate’ outside takeaway cafes
Sydneysiders in lockdown have been warned not to exploit takeaway permissions by “congregating” around cafes.
Lockdown rules permit people to leave their homes to pick up takeaway food or drink, but NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said anybody who did so then needed to leave straight away.
“Police are now seeing people congregate in areas where takeaway coffee, takeaway food exists,” he said.
“We had an example recently which highlights this, where people gathered their takeaway goods, moved a short distance away, and then proceeded to hook up a movie on a device and sit and watch that movie.”
Deputy Commissioner Worboys’ warning came after he said earlier this week that police needed to be “firmer rather than fairer” in cracking down on lockdown laws.
“People understand the orders more and more and police are just getting a little tired of people that disguise their behaviour around the orders to try and give some legitimacy to it,” he said.
In the past 24 hours, 121 infringement notices were issued to people breaching public health orders, with just 34 of those in the new COVID-19 epicentre of south-west Sydney.
He praised residents of the area for their response to the health orders and for complying with police.
