’INSANE’ CROWDS AT SHOPS CREATE ‘BUMP’ FURY
CROWDS sick of being cooped up have flocked to Gold Coast shopping centres just as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk forecasts easing COVID-19 restrictions.
Just before noon yesterday, traffic jams were occurring on roundabouts at Oxenford as residents rushed to Bunnings and Westfield Helensvale for shopping.
Further south, at Nerang, a resident caught in traffic told the Bulletin: “There are huge line-ups here at Bunnings. At Aldi, we saw the biggest crowds since before the coronavirus restrictions started.”
At Pacific Pines, after major shops were closed for Anzac Day on Saturday, the line-up of shoppers before 11am was outside the centre as staff continued with number counting of entrants.
“There are a lot of people inside. It’s incredibly busy. It’s disappointing to see so few shoppers are social distancing. It’s just a mad rush,” a female shopper said.
At Westfield Helenvale, the crowds were larger, with the main carpark full and customers having to park in the overflow carparks.
The fruit market at the southern end was packed with few shoppers showing concern about social distancing.
Several older shoppers, some wearing face masks, chose to stay outside under the shade of trees.
“The crowds in there are insane,” a shopper said.
A Pacific Pines resident said social distancing was not happening at the fruit market and Woolworths at Westfield was “chocka”.
“I tried to keep my distance but some people just keep bumping into me, it was impossible to keep 1.5 metres away from everyone. There was also a queue to get into Target, but further down the centre wasn’t busy at all.”
Beaches also drew sizeable crowds including Burleigh but social distancing appeared easier to pull off on the world-famous stretches of sand.