Tourists were still seen in parts of the South Coast over the Easter long weekend in breach of social distancing measures, police in the area say.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Despite multiple and repeated health warnings from officials and the government, authorities said there were still a number of visitors to the holiday hot spot.
Police had to break up several large gatherings of people on South Coast beaches with multiple warning notices for breaching coronavirus restrictions handed out.
However, tourist numbers in the area were well down on normal levels.
Officer in charge of Nowra police station, Inspector Ray Steynes, said a large number of infringement notices were handed out over the Easter period, which come with $1000 fines.
"The government told people to stay away and a number of people still came down to the coast, which is disappointing," Inspector Steynes said.
"Multiple people were warned and it was a combination of locals and tourists."
Inspector Steynes said an exact number of offences recorded and fines issued was not known.
Health authorities along with state, territory and federal governments all urged people to stay at home during Easter to help combat the spread of coronavirus in the community.
NSW police said since 4pm on Friday, more than 160 infringement notices had been issued across the state, including several on the South Coast.
Among them was a group of five people in their 20s who were each fined $1000 for drinking together near a Nowra hotel.
In another incident in the Kosciuszko National park, a man in his 30s was fined on Friday after he failed to follow police directions to return to Melbourne.
Our COVID-19 news articles relating to public health and safety are free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. If you're looking to stay up to date on COVID-19, you can also sign up for our twice-daily digest here.