The Sydney beach that is a pictorial shorthand for Australia has become emblematic of the nation’s struggle to respond properly to the outbreak

Quiet, with some defiance, as Bondi Beach succumbs to coronavirus closure

Never have the perennially crowded waters on Bondi Beach looked so inviting.

But on a glorious bright March day, a late-season spark of brilliance against the encroaching autumn, the golden sand and blue-green waters were, if not deserted, uncannily quiet.

Rangers carrying loud hailers marched up and down the beach in socks and shoes telling people the beach was closed and that swimmers, surfers and sunbakers must leave immediately. Entries to the beach were taped shut with red-and-white tape. Signs insisted “area closed until further notice”.

Bondi beach closed after crowds defy ban on gatherings of 500-plus Read more

Most people complied. (Despite Australians’ cherished self-image as a band of rugged nonconformists, this is a country that, in fact, embraces obedience.)

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A sign declares Bondi Beach closed on Sunday morning as authorities remove people from the popular eastern suburbs beach. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

But there were defiant cases, official entreaties politely ignored. Surfers slipped under barriers or jumped into the water from the rocks at the north or south end of the beach.

Ben Doherty (@BenDohertyCorro) Police in the lifeguard tower overlooking a near-deserted Bondi Beach... a few defiant surfers still out pic.twitter.com/NwtD89J3S9

On the sand, Guardian Australia watched one exchange between a ranger and an elderly woman, who conversed with the official for several minutes before putting on her bathing cap and marching into the water.

Ben Doherty (@BenDohertyCorro) Ranger and swimmer in colloquy... (she went in) pic.twitter.com/8yYnY1iy7h

Lifeguards, apologetic at having to enforce a rule that is hazily understood at best, told people simply that the beach was closed and that they could not surf.

Aware that over their shoulders a dozen surfers paddled for the best wave of the set, they warned the police boat would come and start handing out fines to those who refused to leave.

There was widespread confusion at the rule and its enforcement. The unanswerable questions came rapidly: “Is it just the beach that’s closed, or the water as well?”

“There are not 500 people out there, why can’t I go?”

“If someone gets out, can I go in?”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A lifeguard at Bondi Beach on Sunday morning after the famous stretch of sand was closed to enforce social distancing. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

But the social distancing the beach closure was designed to enforce has had its intended impact. The numbers on the beach were a tiny fraction of what might be expected on a Sunday like this.

Bondi Beach, a pictorial shorthand for Australia, has become emblematic of the nation’s struggle to respond properly to the outbreak. The trajectory of Australia’s coronavirus curve mirrors Italy more than it does Singapore. More than 1,000 cases have been reported, and while the death toll remains low, at seven, there are fears this could escalate if the health system becomes strained.

'Flatten the curve': why predicting coronavirus infections and deaths is so tricky Read more

“Social distancing” is a lexical addition to every conversation, but its practice is haphazard. Cafes and restaurants are still full. People still seek out the beach on a sunny day.

Play Video 1:19 Australia's Bondi beach closes after crowds defy coronavirus rules – video

There is also an abiding resentment at the imposition on civil liberties that social distancing is, when such egregious official mistakes are made.

On the same day that Bondi Beach was ordered closed, the same government allowed 2,700 people to walk off a cruise ship in Sydney’s CBD which had reported more than 150 illnesses. At least five people from the Ruby Princess have since tested positive to Covid-19, some of whom boarded domestic flights home.

Walking south from Bondi reveals the practical difficulties of enforcing a lockout rule along a rocky, meandering coastline, beyond the philosophical challenge of keeping Australians from the beaches they regard as their inviolable birthright.

Immediately south of Bondi, the rocky McKenzies Bay was completely open and unguarded, while at Tamarama, next to that, high-wire fencing had been hurriedly installed warning the beach was off-limits for the foreseeable future.

Bronte, the next beach south, was being slowly walled off by the same fences.

Ben Doherty (@BenDohertyCorro) Fences going up at Bronte Beach. Never seen anything like this, but these are unprecedented times... pic.twitter.com/JhE9crCUBC

The numbers were down, social distancing was being enforced, if imperfectly.

But people were finding their way past. Those waters never looked so inviting.