EXCLUSIVE: Sydney's iconic Bondi to Bronte walk will be shut down at Easter if crowds are too big amid fears the 4km coastal stroll is a potential coronavirus 'breeding ground'
- Waverley Council worried coronavirus could be spread among crowded walkers
- New measures trying to limit numbers over Easter with thousands expected
- Rangers will patrol and fine rule breakers, entry and crowd numbers monitored
- But if these don't work and too many people come, route will be shut down
- Some councilors are pushing for it to be closed for the whole pandemic
Sydney's iconic Bondi to Bronte walk will be shut down if too many people flock to it over Easter or ignore social distancing orders.
With gyms ordered closed by NSW Government lockdowns, the popular 4km stroll is choked with thousands of people walking or jogging every day.
Local councilors fear the walk is a 'dangerous' breeding ground for coronavirus and are pushing for it to be closed indefinitely if the huge crowds continue.
Bondi is Australia's biggest coronavirus hotspot with at least 107 cases, and 167 in the local government area, out of 6,010 across Australia.
Sydney's iconic Bondi to Bronte walk (crowds pictured during stage 3 lockdown) will be shut down if too many people flock to it over Easter or ignore social distancing orders
A family of six and their dog walk together along the 4km route on Wednesday
Waverley Council on Tuesday night agreed to a series of crowd control measures in an effort to keep the walk open over Easter, but will shut down if they fail.
'If numbers are excessive we have the capacity to close the walkway down with the staff, contractors, and equipment deployed,' a briefing sent to councillors stated.
Rangers will patrol the path handing out fines to anyone breaching the two-person rule or not staying 1.5m apart.
Council staff and 11 private security guards will monitor entrances from 6am to 6pm and keep track of entrances and crowd sizes.
Additional fencing has been installed at McKenzies Bay and about 60 new signs will be erected advising people to kept left and obey social distancing rules.
These measures will be employed on a smaller scale every day after the long weekend and the trail closed whenever crowds get out of control.
The Bondi to Bronte walk is also a popular jogging track, made even more desirable now gyms are closed and it's harder to travel far from home to work out
Walkers exercise in groups along the Bondi to Bronte trail amid Sydney's coronavirus lockdown
With gyms ordered closed by NSW Government lockdowns, the popular 4km stroll is choked with thousands of people walking or jogging every day
Liberal Party councillor Leon Goltsman is pushing for stricter measures including closing narrow parts of the walk and diverting the route to safer areas.
'Closing should be the last resort but first and foremost is community safety,' he told Daily Mail Australia.
'Most people are social distancing, but parts of that path make it very difficult because it's very narrow.
'Combine that with backpackers and a lot of young people who are not taking it seriously, sometimes 20 or 30 people in a group. It's becoming dangerous with so many people crossing paths.'
Bondi locals are outraged with backpackers throwing crowded parties in defiance of bans on non-essential travel and gatherings of more than two people.
Three women stop for a chat along the route as other people try to make their way around them
Liberal Party councillor Leon Goltsman is pushing for stricter measures including closing narrow parts of the walk and diverting the route to safer areas
Cr Goltsman said he received dozens of complaints in the past few days about such behaviour and feared the tourists would infect people along the walk.
'People are kissing and getting it on on balconies and even stripping, it's like they don't realise what we're going through at the moment,' he said.
'Those same people could be going out on the walk and spread coronavirus. It just takes one person with the virus and before you know it, you have another hotspot.
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'I've been condemned for even discussing [closing the walk]… but I can only go by what I think is right and keep my community safe. I'm not trying to win popularity awards, I don't care about getting reelected.'
Paul Pignato walks his three dogs from Bronte to Bondi and back every day and believed shutting off the walk would be the latest governmental overreach.
'Most people are paying attention to the advice they've been given and are staying away from each other,' he told Daily Mail Australia while walking the path on Wednesday.
Paul Pignato walks his three dogs from Bronte to Bondi and back every day and believed shutting off the walk would be the latest governmental overreach
Meg Dalco (left) and Kate Rehoc (right) said though they enjoyed their time outside exercising on the walk, they could survive without it for the long weekend
Best friends Brittany Levick (left) and Bridget Gallagher (right) said the walk was one of their only escapes from the monotony of isolation
'I walk this with my dogs everyday and I'd be shattered if they closed it over Easter, I think these guys would be too.
'I think the whole thing is over the top personally, I think even shutting the beaches was over the top.
'I get why you don't want people to congregate on the beaches, but there is surely nothing wrong with going for a swim and quickly drying off and leaving.
Best friends Brittany Levick and Bridget Gallagher said the walk was one of their only escapes from the monotony of isolation.
'It would be terrible if they closed it off, it's the last thing keeping us sane,' Ms Gallagher said.
'We were literally just talking about what we were going to do over Easter and we have nothing on except doing the walk and drinking at home!'
Two young women take a stroll along the popular route on Wednesday afternoon
The women wore activewear as they swapped the gym for fresh air and an escape from the confines of government-ordered lockdown
But not all were against the walk being shut off, with some understanding the need to keep people at home to aid the fight against COVID-19.
Meg Dalco and Kate Rehoc said though they enjoyed their time outside exercising on the walk, they could survive without it for the long weekend.
'I think it's probably a good precaution to take, especially because runners are huffing and puffing as they pass you,' Ms Dalco said.
'Over the Easter weekend it would likely get busy, and it's only for four days or whatever, so it's not forever.'
Waverley mayor Paula Masselos said she wanted the popular walk to stay open but the council was assessing the risk.
'Most people are observing social distancing and doing the right thing, but at various times it does get crowded,' she said.
The Bondi to Bronte walk on a quieter weekday with overcast conditions - far more are expected to crowd the path over Easter
Bondi Beach has been closed for two weeks since this scene pf hundreds of people flcoking to it on March 20 with no regard for social distancing
'I don't want to shut everything down because people need to get out and exercise so we're trying to manage our facilities instead of summarily shutting them down.
'If people don't do the right thing we may need to shut it down, but I hope not.'
Cr Masselos encouraged residents to 'become a tourist in their own suburb' and explore areas they don't usually go to while getting exercise.
'There's lots to see in Waverley... be a little more creative about how you exercise instead of doing the same old thing,' she said.
NSW Police has not ordered the walk closed, as they did with some beaches, and NSW Health has not provided any 'specific advice'.
Waverley's beaches, including Bondi and Bronte, will stay closed over Easter and Northern Beaches, Randwick, Bayside, and Woollahra will also shut theirs.
St Vincents' pop up clinic in Bondi specifically for testing high-risk sections of the Bondi community
