With temperatures nudging 30 degrees over the weekend, Illawarra residents forgot all about lockdowns and headed to the beach.
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From Bulli all the way down to Port Kembla, people were in the water or lying on the sand, pushing the lockdown definition of "exercise and recreation".
Had they waited until Monday, it may have fallen under the new 'freedom' of being able to gather in groups of five - providing everyone is vaccinated.
It was a similar story in Sydney, where Bondi and other beaches saw an influx of people.
At Port Kembla Beach on Saturday, emergency services were called to help find a missing five-year-old boy, who it was thought may have been in the water.
Three ambulances, six police cars and a rescue helicopter were called to do a search of the water, but the boy was later located in a tent on the beach and reunited with his parents.
NSW Ambulance Inspector Norm Rees was alarmed at the number of beachgoers at Port Kembla on a day when Wollongong was meant to be in lockdown.
"There were about 450 people laying on the beach with no social distancing and hardly a mask to be seen," Mr Rees said.
"And across the road in the COVID testing car park it was empty.
"How ridiculous is that? I can't believe how stupid people are.
"I felt sick when I pulled up there and saw so many people at the beach.
"It is really disappointing when so many people are going stir-crazy staying in their house trying to do the right thing."
Mr Rees said it was so hard to see when ambulance officers and other emergency personnel were busy trying to keep up with the growing number of COVID cases on top of other emergencies.
They wear PPE all day, every day and take the risk of exposure as they try and save people's lives and it was so disappointing to see what they saw on Saturday.
The Port Kembla Beach inclident also coincides with concerns this week from Port Kembla Surf Life Saving Club being asked to patrol in an unsafe COVID climate.
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