NSW Covid-19 lockdown: Byron Bay locals blast anti-vaxxers

A group of Byron Bay locals have blasted the conspiracy theorists in their midst, as the threat of a Delta outbreak fails to quell misinformation and anti-vax sentiments in the area. The Northern Rivers area has been plunged into a seven-day lockdown after a Sydney man, infected with Covid-19, travelled to the area, reportedly with his two teenage children.
Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon said the infected man had been “evasive” in telling emergency services about his movements, and NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said police are investigating the matter.
Byron is the capital of conspiracy theories in Australia. It has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country with only 69.4 per cent of children under the age of two fully immunised in 2020/21.
The national average for two-year-olds is 92.53 per cent. The area also recently protested the implementation of 5G towers and there has been pushback from locals against following public health orders including mask-wearing and social distancing.
And now, a war of words has erupted on community social media groups after the Covid case prompted the lockdown.
News.com.au has chosen not to publish the dangerous misinformation posted on these groups.
A large group of locals have taken aim at the conspiracy theorists for their posts.
“Ah, f**k me. Literally watching this degenerate anti-Covid propaganda for months and now we have to cop it because moronic seeds grew to fruition,” one man said.
“We lose either way because 1. We manage to get through easily and the idiotic Tumeric shot sinkers brag ‘I told you so’, like jackasses. Or 2. A bunch of us die and nobody gives a sh*t.”
Vaccinating against Covid-19 is the only way for Australians to get their normal lives back, but as a nation we’re struggling. News.com.au’s Our Best Shot campaign answers your questions about the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.
“I wonder how Mullumbimby will go if there’s a breakout there. The deniers will have to walk their talk, deny medical care, and rely on their own immune systems,” another said.
A few more locals took aim at the man who brought the virus to the community.
“All this due to one selfish p**ck. He should be fined severely and receive the full force of the law,” one woman wrote.
“At present taking up precious space in ICU all because he couldn’t give a F.”
Byron Shire is one of four LGAs that will go into lockdown at 6pm on Tuesday.
They will be joined by Richmond Valley, Lismore and Ballina Shire LGAs who are soon to be under stay-at-home orders until 12.01am next Tuesday, August 17. The measures also apply to anyone who has been there since July 31.
“Everyone in these areas must stay at home unless they have a reasonable excuse to leave. They also cannot have visitors in their home from outside their household, including family and friends,” a NSW Health statement said.