Sunshine Coast Council Mayor and Chair of the Local Disaster Management Group Mark Jamieson praised the majority of Sunshine Coast residents for complying with the national public health directions over the Easter weekend and in doing so, making their contribution to help keep our community safe.
Mayor Jamieson said the closure of the beachside car parks worked well to limit the number of people at beaches.
"Generally, the reports were very pleasing and from what I observed myself, the vast majority of people decided to stay home and if they did go out for essential reasons, they were complying with social distancing requirements," Mayor Jamieson said.
"So, I want to say a big thank you to our community for continuing to do the right thing as we seek to manage our way through the implications of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Mayor Jamieson reminded Sunshine Coast residents that the various restrictions including closure of beachside car parks remain in place until further notice to minimise the likelihood of people gathering at our beaches and coastal parks.
"We saw an increase in the amount of people exercising on our pathways over the weekend so I want to remind people to maintain social distancing and share the pathways to keep everyone safe," Mayor Jamieson said.
"If you have to go out to exercise and this involves cycling on pathways – slow down and make room for everyone.
"Of course we know we still have a very long way to go, but all of the signs are encouraging and it is clearly evident that Australia is indeed flattening the COVID-19 curve.
"The Sunshine Coast is doing its bit to contribute to these pleasing results because most people are staying home and staying safe.
"So, I encourage everyone to keep up their efforts and continue to spread the word to their friends and families not to visit the Sunshine Coast at this time.
"The message is pretty simple - Stay home unless it's absolutely necessary," he said.
As a sign of the high levels of compliance, the Queensland Police Service issued 42 infringement notices in our region for failing to comply with confinement orders and 28 calls were received from the public to report group gatherings across the coast.
To help keep our community informed, inspired and entertained during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Sunshine Coast Council has launched a new series of online programs and videos thanks to Caloundra Regional Gallery, Horizon Festival, Cultural Heritage, Living Smart and Sunshine Coast Libraries.
The Stay, Connect, Create program is easy to locate on council's website - www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au - where you'll find a variety of workshops, kids' art activities, early literacy, rhyming, science activities, virtual tours, historical stories and more.
