REVEALED: The 16 different reasons you can give police to escape being fined for leaving your home while coronavirus restrictions are in place
- Tougher restrictions were introduced in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus
- New South Wales has some of the toughest penalties for breaking the rules
- Anyone caught flouting the rules could be fined up to $11,000
- There are 16 excuses you can use to dodge a fine, including donating blood
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
There are 16 different reasons police will accept if they pull you up for being outside while coronavirus restrictions are in place.
The new rules have been introduced to slow the spread of coronavirus, and each Australian state and territory has different fines for breaking the rules.
New South Wales has some of the toughest penalties, and anyone caught flouting the rules in the state could be fined up to $11,000.
However, you can dodge a fine if you have a ‘reasonable excuse’ for leaving your home.
The NSW Government has identified 16 acceptable excuses for leaving your home during the next month, which includes getting food, going to work or dropping kids off at school.
The NSW government has identified 16 acceptable ‘reasonable excuses’ under the emergency ministerial directive, which includes getting food, going to work or dropping kids off at school
You can avoid a fine for leaving your home if you are grocery shopping or buying other essential items
Exercising is also an acceptable reason for leaving your home, as is attending a wedding or a funeral.
Police can’t fine you if you are moving house or on your way to donate blood.
People in NSW can be fined $11,000 for leaving their homes without a ‘reasonable excuse’ under an emergency directive signed on Monday night.
Anyone who leaves home without a ‘reasonable excuse’ can be fined up to $11,000 under Section 10 of the Public Health Act.
They could also be given a fine of up to $11,000 for leaving home without a reasonable excuse, and could be given a $5,500 fine for each day they continue to break the rules, the emergency directive states.
The NSW Government is urging the community to keep social gatherings to a minimum and obey new regulations as the state boasts the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said people in their 20s and 30s were the worst offenders when it came to flouting social isolation rules.
She implored them not to put the vulnerable at risk.
Unless there is a significant and unexpected spike in COVID-19 cases in the state, the current restrictions will not be revised for a month, she said.
If you’re on your way to give blood, you have a ‘reasonable excuse’ for leaving your home during the coronavirus pandemic
You can also get away with leaving your home during the pandemic if you’re attending a wedding
‘Health experts have told us they’d like to maintain the restrictions we’ve put in place for at least the next month and then assess,’ she said on Monday.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said police would no longer issue cautions for those flouting self-isolation rules – instead $1000 on-the-spot fines would be handed out.
Police could also arrest and charge those repeatedly ignoring health orders, with a maximum penalty of six months in prison.
A Sydney man is already behind bars for allegedly ignoring his home self-quarantine twice on Saturday before trying to leave the serviced apartment in which he had been confined.
The number of confirmed NSW coronavirus cases on Monday rose to 1918, an increase of 127 on the previous day.
Twenty-six NSW coronavirus patients are in intensive care.
The number of confirmed NSW cases from the Ruby Princess cruise ship, meanwhile, jumped to 189 on Monday, including three seriously ill crew members who were evacuated from the ship to a Sydney hospital.
New South Wales has some of the toughest penalties, with anyone caught flouting the rules risking a fine up to $11,000 or six months in jail (Pictured: People socialising at a park)
Tougher social distancing rules have been introduced to stop people from congregating in groups during the coronavirus pandemic (Pictured: People at Bondi Beach in mid-March)