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Helicopters, Police Checks, Fines: Australia's Easter Travel Crackdown Against Coronavirus

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MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia will deploy helicopters, set up police checkpoints and hand out hefty fines to deter people from breaking an Easter travel ban, officials warned on Friday, in their toughest crackdown against the coronavirus, even as its spread slows.

More than half of Australians identify themselves as Christians, with many in past years attending church services or going on trips to visit family and friends during Easter public holidays that run until Monday.

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But with places of worship closed, bans on public gatherings larger than two and non-essential travel limited to combat the spread of the virus, Australians were told to stay home this year or face dire consequences.

“Police will take action,” New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys told reporters, adding that police had issued almost 50 new fines for breaches of public health orders in the previous 24 hours.

Police control car park entries to ensure safe social distancing at Sydney Fish Market on April 10, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. 
Police control car park entries to ensure safe social distancing at Sydney Fish Market on April 10, 2020 in Sydney, Australia.

Police have said they will block roads and use number plate recognition technology to catch those infringing the bans. Fines for breaking social distancing rules start at $1,000, but vary between states.

The long weekend was in many ways “the most important weekend we may face in the whole course of the virus,” Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Thursday.

Australia had 6,152 infections by Friday, up 100 from the previous day, government figures showed, with 53 virus-related deaths.

Christians and the Jewish community,...

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