Police officers on the Border have issued warnings where businesses and individuals have "breached" public health restrictions around COVID-19.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Murray River Police District Superintendent Paul Smith said if someone observed a public health order being disobeyed, they should contact Crime Stoppers on 1300 333 000.
"We've had some non-compliance, I won't go into the detail, they were dealt with early in the piece by way of reinforcement, and we haven't had any further breaches," he said.
"Thus far, we're getting pretty good compliance from the community.
"This is all new to us, a lot of people have made some big sacrifices, and there's certainly a measured approach to compliance ... [but] everyone's aware of the rules now, and it's time to enforce them.
"This week we've had powers increased to be able to issue on the spot fines for non-compliance ... $1000 for an individual, $5000 for a business."
Wodonga Local Area Commander Inspector Paul Hargreaves said residents on his side of the border were by-and-large adhering to restrictions, but he "couldn't say hand-on-heart people are doing everything they should".
"We are aware of examples where people have probably been a little loose with the word 'isolation'," he said.
"If you are told to isolate, do it.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"That doesn't mean dropping in to see your mates on the way home, and it certainly doesn't mean going to your supermarket and doing your shopping, thinking 'well, I need enough food for fourteen days' - there are other avenues to do that.
"It's very simple to leave your trace behind that someone picks up, and before we know it it's our family and friends who are all ill."
Both police forces have dedicated resources to patrolling local streets and enforcement of business closures, social distancing, and self-isolation.
Superintendent Hargreaves said this could be a time of added tension, urging families to work together and look after their neighbours, and Inspector Hargreaves also raised family violence.
"It's something that happens in our community far too often, and it's a secret killer; it happens behind closed doors," he said.
"And many more doors are going to be closed at the moment as we go through this period.
"Watch out, look out, and report if you have any concerns about yourself, your family, and/or your neighbours when it comes to family violence."
We have removed our paywall from our stories about the coronavirus. This is a rapidly changing situation and we want to make sure our readers are as informed as possible. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here