Waverley Council urges responsible behaviour during COVID-19

3 August 2020

Waverley Council urges people in the strongest possible terms to work together to stop the spread of COVID-19 outbreaks occurring across Sydney by observing the relevant public health orders limiting outdoor gatherings to no more than 20 people in our parks, beaches and coastal walks. We also remind people of the need to stay socially distanced in our public places.

If a location you are visiting looks busy, come back another time. Residents and visitors should remain mindful of crowds, and follow the advice of the NSW Government, who now advise to wear a mask if you cannot avoid busy places.

Currently, outdoor gatherings are limited to no more than 20 persons gathered for a common purpose. In addition, venues and locations must comply with the 4 square-metres per person rule.

Waverley Council has been working hard to deliver a number of actions to date to help protect against COVID-19 including the ongoing monitoring by staff of our public places to remind people of the public health orders and the need to stay socially distanced. On the weekend, the Council provided an additional four Rangers to monitor visitor numbers at Bondi and Bronte beaches.

We ask that the community support our actions by staying socially distant, complying with the relevant public health orders, and taking actions such as wearing a mask in crowded areas and maintaining good hand hygiene. We must work together to support the actions of the community and all tiers of government to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Waverley Council is disappointed by the lack of respect shown towards its Rangers and to the wider community by people refusing to observe public health orders when visiting our area. Our Rangers reported being verbally abused by some visitors when reminded of the need to stay socially distanced.

The Council will not tolerate abuse of our Council Rangers, Lifeguards and other staff who are trying to keep the community safe under exceptionally challenging circumstances. On four occasions yesterday, Rangers contacted Police to attend a reserve in North Bondi and Bronte Beach Park as visitor numbers began to increase. Only the Police have the authority to enforce public health orders around outdoor gatherings in public places.

For the latest COVID-19 information, including a summary of restrictions in NSW, please visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19

-ENDS-