Couple who ‘just wanted to be married’ ignored social distancing rules to wed at Balmoral Beach before cops shut it down when guests exceeded 500 people
- A Sydney couple got married at Balmoral Beach amid the coronavirus pandemic
- Anders and Sophie Ridley-Smith had planned a church wedding for next month
- The couple quickly changed their plans as crisis threatened their celebrations
- Police had to intervene as mass gatherings have been banned across Australia
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
A couple who were desperate to get married despite the coronavirus pandemic went ahead with their ceremony on a popular Sydney beach before police shut it down.
Anders and Sophie Ridley-Smith had planned a church wedding for next month but had to quickly change their plans as the deadly virus threatened to ruin their nuptials.
The couple had ‘just wanted to be married’ and tied the knot in front of 500 guests on Sunday at Balmoral Beach in the city’s north, despite clear social distancing rules and a ban on mass gatherings.
The rules were introduced in a bid to slow the spread of the virus as the number of cases in Australia soared to 1,610. Seven people have already died from the illness.
Anders and Sophie Ridley-Smith (pictured) had planned a church wedding for next month but had to quickly change their plans as the deadly illness threatened to bring the entire world to a halt
By 3pm, beachgoers were ordered off the sand as Mosman Council followed police instructions to close the beach.
As guests were told to scatter, Mr Ridley-Smith announced to the crowd: ‘We got away with a heist. We’re right on the buzzer’.
His father, Anthony Ridley-Smith told the Sydney Morning Herald they made their last-minute plans to host the wedding on the beach on Thursday as rules for combating the spread of the coronavirus were ramped up.
‘This is the reception. One drink and we’re out of here,’ he said.
A bystander had informed the council of the mass gathering, a council spokesman said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced even stricter rules would be brought in on Monday morning after Australians failed to take social distancing seriously.
From midday on Monday, pubs and licensed premises will be forced to close for six months.
By 3pm, beachgoers were ordered off the sand at the beaches in Sydney’s north, as Mosman council followed police instructions to close the beach (pictured: Police at Balmoral Beach on Sunday)
The restrictions also cover places of worship, casinos, restaurants and cafes without takeaway services, nightclubs and registered clubs.
The new restrictions were announced as the number of coronavirus cases in Australia hit 1,550, doubling every three to five days, and police warned of six month jail terms for those who breach public health orders.
As news broke of the looming closures, panicked shoppers headed in droves to liquor stores to stock up on alcohol, however, bottle shops will remain open.
Earlier on Sunday evening the Prime Minister managed to avoid a complete nationwide lockdown after a tense eleventh hour meeting with the national cabinet.
Mr Morrison met with state and territory leaders to discuss further measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus, hours after announcing a second stimulus package worth $66billion.
The federal government introduced strict new rules, shutting down pubs, restaurants and cafes after Australians failed to take social distancing orders seriously (pictured: people at Bondi Beach on Friday)
beaches across NSW have been blocked off in a bid to stop mass gatherings amid the coronavirus crisis
While New South Wales and Victoria were pushing for a full-scale lockdown where only supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies, convenience stores, freight and logistics services would remain open, the states eventually agreed to more limited shutdowns over fears their economies could collapse.
After the meeting Mr Morrison announced there would be a staged process starting with a shutdown of ‘principal places of social gathering’.
‘I am deeply regretful that those workers and those business owners who will be impacted by this decision will suffer the economic hardship that undoubtedly they will now have to face,’ the Prime Minister said.
‘That is a very, very regretful decision. But a necessary one in the view of the premiers and chief ministers and myself to ensure that we can control the spread of this virus.’