New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard has slammed British backpackers for not “giving a damn about the rest of Sydney” after they flouted Covid restrictions to party on Christmas Day.
According to reports, some 300 revellers ignored social distancing to party on a popular beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
“Let me tell you, that event, I am hoping, will not become a superspreader event. But has every chance that it could be,” Mr Hazzard said.
Media outlets around the world reported that the majority of the partygoers are suspected to be British tourists.
“You could hear lots of clearly English accents, and several people were wearing the white English football jerseys,” said Peter Hannam, a local journalist who had passed the crowds on the day.
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“We had to move through them on our path and the crowd was sort of pulsating… and well we thought we don’t really want to hang around here because it doesn’t look very safe.”
Reports of the gathering have sparked widespread community anger, with many calling for the tourists to be kicked out of the country.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said he “was shocked at the scenes on Bronte Beach” on Christmas Day and said the government would not hesitate to deport those involved.
However, he did not specify how the authorities would track down the partygoers, as none were fined or penalised on the day by NSW police.
After months of no reported cases in Sydney, the virus re-emerged a week before Christmas.
This has led to a swift re-introduction of restrictions in the city, where the outbreak has already grown to 129 cases.
