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Australia:
Krispy Kreme doughnut giveaway slammed by police
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New South Wales Police are investigating a national promotion by
popular doughnut chain Krispy Kreme, due to a doughnut giveaway
which may have led to contraventions of COVID-19 rules.
The giveaway caused traffic jams and long queues at some stores
and drew major criticism from police for its lack of foresight and
planning. Police say they are investigating allegations that social
distancing health regulations may have been breached.
In New South Wales, businesses face fines of up to $5,000 and
individuals face a fine of up to $1,000.
While some social media posts showed customers walking into
stores and picking up their freebies without hassle, there were
images of long queues of people in close proximity at multiple
stores.
Some people described the frenzy to get the free doughnuts a
‘stampede.’ One store required security staff to manage the
crowd, which in itself is not entirely surprising given that only a
few months ago people were arrested and in some cases charged,
for fighting over toilet paper supplies in some
supermarkets.
The promo,
which ironically, provided doughnuts to anyone who celebrated a
birthday in lockdown, had the potential to cause more community
contamination of the virus which has not been completely
eradicated.
And, as the latest Victorian outbreak has shown, the virus can
spread quickly and without warning. Another 270 cases have been
confirmed in recent days. Currently 57 police officers in Victoria
are in mandatory isolation awaiting
Covid-19 test results.
Complacency and community transmission
|
In New South Wales, there are signs that we too could be
entering a precarious new phase of contagion. Thirteen new cases
have been detected, many of which are community transmissions. In
recent weeks 21 cases have been linked to the Crossroads Hotel at
Casula.
The Star Casino has also warned that a patron who attended the
casino on July 4 has tested positive for Covid-19. This case is
also linked to the Casula Hotel. The casino has been fined for
breaching public health regulations.
New restrictions for pubs and venues
|
The New South Wales Government recently implemented new
restrictions on pubs and venues. Group bookings will be reduced
from 20 people back to 10 and large venues will not be allowed to
have more than 300 patrons.
While Queensland has opened its borders to New South Wales,
Victorians remain banned from the state. It has however declared
Casula and Campbelltown and Liverpool as ‘hotspots’ meaning
anyone from these areas will be subject to quarantine requirements
if they want to cross the border into Queensland. Despite borders
now being open, everyone requires a pass to cross. These can be
downloaded from the Queensland Government website.
While there was always going to be the possibility of further
outbreaks, even after the original pandemic was under control, the
Australian Federal Government has long held concerns that the
economy would not be able to survive another national outbreak, so
all precautions are currently being taken to make sure hotspots are
identified quickly and managed.
It also means that we shouldn’t take our freedoms for
granted just yet, as restrictions can be reinstated at any
time.
Police are urging people to do the right thing and maintain an
acceptable distance from each other, as well as practice hand
hygiene and stay home if unwell. In New South Wales there are
70,000 police officers patrolling public health act compliance, and
the police are also receiving tip-offs about potential breaches
through Crime Stoppers.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.
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