ALBURY'S police chief and state MP have urged people to stay home over Easter to help combat coronavirus.
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Superintendent Paul Smith and Justin Clancy put their message to the public at a joint media conference on Thursday afternoon.
The Murray River Police District commander said the community should not treat Easter as if it was a normal year.
"We strongly urge anyone who had Easter plans, please change them, please stay at home," Supt Smith said.
"If you normally head up to the Murray River region, whether it be here in Albury or out in Deniliquin, any of our patches, please change your plans and stay at home.
Supt Smith said the measures were aimed at protecting the community from the spread of COVID-19.
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Mr Clancy echoed Supt Smith's sentiments.
"It is for the safety of you and your family and your community, but it is also for this reason - it is the hard work that you have done, the sacrifices you have made up until this point, we cannot let that go over this weekend," Mr Clancy said.
"In that sense I ask you please stay home."
Supt Smith said a "measured approach" would continue to be taken towards the enforcement of social distancing requirements.
He said police accepted that Albury-Wodonga and Yarrawonga-Mulwala and other cross border communities were as one, when it come to applying travel rules for shopping and other essential needs.
"There will be no border lockdown so to speak but certainly our colleagues in Victoria Police and NSW are working towards the same intent and that's a safe community and that is staying at home," Supt Smith said.
"If you're not from a particular area those are the people we'll have a particular interest in.
"If you're travelling through an area there is no reasonable excuse."
Supt Smith also stressed hunters travelling to and around the Riverina should stay home.
However, he noted all those who had been issued with fines for failing to comply with travel requirements had also been committing another offence at the same time.
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