'Licence please': coronavirus postcode lockdown begins
Residents in Melbourne's hotspots have had a first taste of life under postcode lockdown, as Victoria Police open booze-bus style road stops on the first day of enforcement.
Stay-at-home orders are now in place for people who live in 10 postcodes across Melbourne's north and west.
Police begin day one of postcode lockdown enforcement in hotspot suburbs around Melbourne.Credit:Chris Hopkins
The Victorian state government has said people from these areas should leave home only to provide care, to work or study, to get exercise or to buy groceries.
People travelling out of postcode 3047 - which encompasses Broadmeadows, Jacana and Dallas - were randomly stopped on Camp Road on Thursday morning by police officers in protective masks.
Drivers were asked to show their licences and those who reside in a lockdown postcode asked where they were travelling and why.
Wissam Elkassar, who was stopped and checked heading to work in Pascoe Vale, said the process was painless but he would not want to go through it every day.
"When you're used to the freedom, of course not. [But] I guess it's gotta be done, we're not used to it obviously," he said.
Mr Elkassar said the mood was muted in his home suburb which has been sent back into stage three lockdown.
"You can't see your family any more, your friends, it's getting harder but I think they're doing the right thing," he said.
There will be multiple such road stop locations across lockdown suburbs from Thursday onwards.
It comes a day after VicRoads was inundated with requests from Melburnians trying to change the address on their licences, sparking concerns that residents may try to falsify their documentation to avoid lockdown measures.
The Victorian Transport Department moved on Wednesday to foil the spike in licence amendments, it confirmed. No proof is required to change a licence address online and changes are made instantly.
A new licence card is not required to show proof of a new address, as VicRoads sends labels to stick onto cards in the short term.
Those who break the rules face a maximum fine of up to $825 if caught.
VicRoads is now reviewing every application made since Premier Daniel Andrews’ announcement mid-afternoon on Tuesday to reintroduce stay-at-home orders in suburbs largely north-west of Melbourne.
The agency refused to confirm exactly how many requests had been made but said it would not cease online licence alterations as a result.
Police-enforced restrictions mean that people leaving and entering any of the 10 nominated postcodes for anything other than essential purposes can be given on-the-spot-fines.
Asked what would happen in cases where members of the public were aggravated with police during checks, Police Minister Lisa Neville said police were "trained to deal" with people being "antsy".
"I’m pleading with people to do the right thing and have a bit of respect for police doing their job," she said.
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