'No time to chill': Anger as backpackers flock to Byron Bay beach at sunset
Crowds of backpackers have continued to ignore coronavirus social distancing rules in Byron Bay prompting desperate calls for stricter measures to be implemented to keep people inside.
There were bizarre scenes in the northern NSW town on Saturday, despite the government’s tough reaction to thousands of people seen at Bondi Beach in Sydney the previous day.
Concerned local Tim Cassidy shared images of the large gathering of people enjoying the sunset from the Bay’s beachfront, calling for a firm crackdown on backpackers by “management” of the numerous hostels in the area.
“I feel a deep responsibility in this time of this heavy virus potentially spreading here, to request that all backpacker hostels are policed and if necessary, placed in lockdown now, for everyone's well-being,” he wrote in a post to Facebook.
He said that while the crowd was “so peaceful and having a special time in our stunning town” it was the duty of managers at local hostels to “start taking this seriously” and implore visitors to adhere to social distancing requirements.
Ongoing virus reminders
Mr Cassidy suggested they “pro-actively announce and implement virus based policies and procedures within their hostels” including signs in dorms, text message alerts, and regular vocal announcements.
“I also call upon our Byron Shire Council and police to please address this issue ASAP, by keeping each hostel manager accountable to enforce government recommendations about social distancing and isolation,” he wrote.
He expressed feeling a personal responsibility to call for action due to having worked and lived at his family-built and operated hostel in Byron Bay until 1997.
“We do get over two million visitors here from everywhere each year, it warrants some action from council I would say,” he wrote.
“Take care everyone, may common sense prevail, in the urgency of the hour.”
Others seemed to be equally as concerned at what appeared to be a disregard for the severity of the situation.
“This is going to spread like wild fires if people don't start using preventative measures,” one person wrote in a comment.
“This is bulls**t. They are unwittingly spreading the virus,” another said.
Mr Cassidy told Yahoo News Australia that while the town was known for its “chilled vibe”, it was not the time for people to be adopting this approach to life.
“Right now, it's not the time to ‘chill’, it's time to snap out of the chill zone and self isolate to beat this virus, and save lives,” he said.
“Our Mayor Simon Richardson has simply done nothing to enforce any form of lockdown in our town.”
As of Tuesday morning, there were more than 800 confirmed coronavirus cases in NSW.
No social distancing in queues
On Monday, massive lines formed outside Centrelink offices across the country as newly unemployed Australians scrambled to register themselves with the welfare agency.
Many waited in long queues for hours with many only to be told to go home and either call or use the MyGov online portal.
The website however crashed under the huge number of visitors on Monday. Initially, Services Minister Stuart Robert blamed the crash on a cyber attack, but quickly backtracked.
The government said the site could only handle 55,000 visitors at once, but numbers spiked to almost 100,000. On a normal day, visitor numbers are about 6,000.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
