Wealthy Sydneysiders have been spotted breaching lockdown rules by taking their boats out in the Northern Beaches to socialise with their mates.
About a dozen vessels were moored in The Basin, in Pittwater on Tuesday, including some boats that had sailed from outside the Northern Beaches area.
For anyone who lives outside the Northern Beaches, leisure sailing to the area is prohibited due to the Covid outbreak, with mingling threatening to spread the virus across the city.
New South Wales Health has banned outsiders from entering Pittwater by boat unless they have an essential reason.
Residents in the Northern Beaches can go out on their boats but they are restricted on how many people are permitted on the boat.
In the northern area no more than five from the same area are allowed on one boat.
In the southern area no more than 10 people are allowed on board.
Many people believe the rules around boating are a ‘grey area’, but fears have been raised that there may be dire consequences for the rest of Sydney if the rules are not cleared up soon.
Wealthy Sydneysiders have been spotted breaching lockdown rules by taking their boats out in the Northern Beaches to socialise with their mates (pictured, the Harbour on Boxing Day)
A group of four adults were seen on superyacht Masteka 2 (pictured), which charters for $100,000 a week. There was also two more adults and two children seen in the dingy
But that hasn’t stopped some residents from enjoying a day out on the water.
A group of eight people were seen relaxing on yacht The Entertainer, having travelled from Batemans Bay.
The group had planned to stay overnight before heading further north to Swansea, near Newcastle, The Australian reported.
Another four adults were seen on superyacht Masteka 2, which charters for $100,000 a week.
There were also two more adults and two children seen in the dingy.
Boat Owners Association of NSW president Chris De Jong said that while most people were wanting to abide by the rules, there were a few ‘stupid-minded, very selfish people’ flouting the restrictions.
He said some people had even been rafting up to other boats to allow more people on board than permitted.
Residents in the Northern Beaches were placed under stay-at-home orders on December 18 as the number of locally transmitted cases began to grow.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian extended stay-at-home orders for Sydney’s northern beachside suburbs on Monday.
Sydney was hit by a storm on Monday night as NSW recorded three new local Covid cases. Pictured: Coogee Beach on Tuesday
Residents north of the Narrabeen Bridge will be stuck in lockdown until at least January 9. Those south of the bridge will be stuck indoors until at least January 2.
The changes come after the cluster, which was first detected in mid-December, grew to 129 cases with three new locally transmitted cases announced on Tuesday.
Authorities are still battling to stamp out the virus which is threatening to spread across the city.
There were three mystery cases identified after the 8pm reporting cutoff, these will be included in Wednesday’s figures.
Of the new cases, one is from Wollongong, one is from inner-west Sydney and another is from the North Shore. They have not yet been linked to the Northern Beaches cluster.
Premier Berejiklian has admitted officials still don’t know how the outbreak began.
Restrictions tightened in Greater Sydney from Monday night with public gatherings limited to 50 people, down from 100 amid fears New Year’s Eve could become a super-spreader event. Home gatherings remain limited to 10 visitors.
Thousands of firefighters, nurses and other frontline workers from across the state were due to watch the fireworks around the Harbour Bridge as a reward for their hard work during such a difficult year – but Premier Berejiklian said another time will be found to thank them.
The iconic 12-minute midnight firework display, which is normally attended by a million people and watched around the world, has been shortened to seven minutes this year to save money during the pandemic.
The northern zone of the Northern Beaches will remain locked down until January 9 to stop the spread of Covid-19. The southern zone will be released from lockdown on January 2
The premier has told residents to avoid the city centre, saying the decades-old tradition of camping around the harbour to secure a good view is banned.
‘We’re trying to be as generous as possible, but we don’t want to create any superspreading events on New Year’s Eve, that ruins it for everyone,’ she said.
Anyone entering the CBD will need to have a pass from Service NSW to prove they have a booking at a restaurant or are visiting a friend’s home.
The government has also ordered local councils to scrap events unless they can be seated and ticketed outside, with a record of attendees kept.
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant urged residents who want to throw a small party at home to consider hosting barbecues outside.
‘If you can have a barbecue or go to a park or you got an area such as a reserve, that is a safer environment than having people congregate,’ she said.
The iconic 12-minute midnight firework display (pictured last year), which is normally attended by a million people and watched around the world, has been shortened to seven minutes
‘If you have the mildest of symptoms, do not attend any of those events whether they’re indoors or outdoors.
‘The last thing you want to do is be responsible for spreading COVID to your loved ones and the broader community,’ she added.
Premier Berejiklian urged residents to avoid kissing and hugging relatives and friends outside their household.
‘When the clock ticks over to midnight from 31 December to 1 January, I know that’s normally an emotional time where we like to kiss and hug everybody around us. Can I ask for absolute restraint,’ she said.
Ms Berejiklian has urged Greater Sydney residents to get tested after 16,000 people got swabbed on Tuesday, down from 70,000 on Thursday.
She said ‘Greater Sydney must be on high alert’ until the source of the three new mystery cases is found.
‘I say that in order to encourage as many people as possible across the state, even if you live in the regions, if you have the mildest of symptoms please come forward to get tested,’ Ms Berejiklian said.
The three new mystery cases mean there have now been 13 recorded in the past four weeks, including seven in northern Sydney.
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