Thousands of oblivious surfers and swimmers ignore coronavirus warnings and soak up the sun on a packed Gold Coast beach
- Droves of Queenslanders tempted to the beach by sunny 28 degree weather
- Annastacia Palaszczuk said ignoring warnings on social distancing is 'not on'
- The Premier warned of further restrictions if cornoavirus rules are not followed
Thousands of people have ignored warnings on social distancing and flocked to beaches on Queensland's iconic Gold Coast to soak up the sun and surf.
Tempted by the sunny 28C weather, sunbakers and surfers could not resist the white sand and crystal clear water at Burleigh Beach just south of Surfer's Paradise.
Queensland currently has 907 of Australia's confirmed 5687 coronavirus cases.
Hordes of sun-seekers have flocked to beaches at Queensland’s Gold Coast, ignoring the warnings on social distancing
Surfers pictured at Burleigh Beach on the Gold Coast as Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warns residents not to flout social distancing guidelines
But with tight restrictions on public gatherings of over two people and the closure of its borders to everyone except residents and essential workers, the number of new infections in the state has slowed over the past four days.
There were 57 cases on Thursday, 39 on Friday, 25 on Saturday and just nine on Sunday.
‘We need to keep up the great effort that Queenslanders have been doing,’ Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters at a media conference.
'Queenslanders are doing the right thing, we are seeing that number come down for the positive cases and that means the social distancing and stopping of mass movements and gathering is working.’
But the Premier warned that any relaxation of the tough measures could quickly increase the spread.
‘This is not going to end internationally, nationally or even by state until there is a vaccine,’ she said.
‘On Saturday we saw crowds at markets and, guys, it's not on.
‘If I see that happen again, they're going to be shut down immediately because people are not observing social distancing from each other.’
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (above) is seen giving a coronavirus update at a media conference in Brisbane
A policeman approaches sunbathers at Surfers Paradise Beach on the Gold Coast as strict social distancing measures remain in place to slow the spread of coronavirus
Images from the popular Jan Powers Powerhouse Farmers' Markets in Brisbane on Saturday morning showed large crowds of shoppers packed into narrow paths.
An angry local told the Courier-Mail it was 'insane' the marketplace was so crowded with shoppers.
‘I was walking along and thought surely the markets aren’t on,’ she said.
‘I couldn’t believe it. What is wrong with people?
‘Lots of the people there were older people. If you looked at one stall, there were probably six people milling around the one stall.'
As a result of the backlash, Director of the Market Astrid Power said they will now be limiting the number of people allowed in the markets at any one time, after conversations with police.
A popular farmer's market (pictured) has been flooded with people ignoring social distancing measures around COVID-19
Earlier, Queensland's health minister urged the state's residents to show their appreciation for frontline workers' handling of the coronavirus crisis.
Health Minister Steven Miles said doctors, nurses and paramedics had been working hard to protect the state from COVID-19.
"They are working tirelessly, around the clock to make sure we are all safe. They do because they are passionate about caring for us," he said.
"(So) if you are standing behind them in the queue at a cafe, shout them their coffee. Do something nice for them
