Authorities have pleaded for people to stay home this Easter long weekend, billing it as a crucial juncture in the fight against coronavirus. Mass travel this weekend would run the risk of undoing the country's progress in reducing new COVID-19 cases. Up and down the state's usually heaving coast, holidaymakers were largely staying away, with holiday homes and caravan parks on the Central Coast, Byron Bay, Blue Mountains and the south coast quiet. Police pull over a car on Ocean Road at Palm Beach. The government has asked that people stay at their primary residence over the Easter long weekend due to the coronavirus. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer But some holidaymakers have persisted, with broadcaster Adam Spencer blasting people who had left Sydney in defiance of the ban on non-essential travel. Mr Spencer tweeted on Saturday that the normally quiet beach near his home, less than two hours from Sydney, had been inundated with "dozens of Airbnb holidaymakers".

"Saw the usual suspect Airbnb houses with new cars pulling up all of yesterday," Mr Spencer wrote on Twitter. "Kids the same ages as mine who I’ve never seen at the school. Stickers for prominent Sydney private schools on Range Rovers …" Loading NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said last week that people should be in lockdown, only leaving for a finite list of essentials including food, medicine and work that cannot be done remotely, at their "primary home", adding that going away for Easter was not a valid reason to leave the house. Despite the government's pleas, Palm Beach locals said they had seen an influx of holidaymakers and people coming to stay at their second homes. Gretel Packer, former health care chief executive Shane Moran, retired car dealer Laurie Sutton and Swans chairman Andrew Pridham are among those who own weekenders in the exclusive suburb.

There is no suggestion that any of these people were in Palm Beach over Easter, or flouted the social distancing rules. Speaking to The Sun-Herald, a worker at the upmarket Palm Beach Wine Store said that the weekenders were in Palm Beach in their droves. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "It's a small community, we recognise most locals and people who come here all the time," the staff member said on Saturday. "This weekend with Easter, there’s been a lot more people up here. There's not ridiculous amounts and it's not like normal school holidays or a long weekend, but they are definitely here on the weekends, especially this weekend." Across the road on the famous strip of sand, dozens of surfers crowded onto one-foot waves and council life guards warned passersby that they would be fined by police if they lingered too long and throughout the day, marked and unmarked police cars drove up and down Ocean Road.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Saturday urged residents to stay at home for the remainder of the long weekend, including Easter Sunday when people would usually gather at places of worship or with family. Loading "Nobody is to leave home unless it’s for an essential purpose, that's the bottom line," she said. Ms Berejiklian said people should not attend religious services or congregate for Easter or Passover this weekend. "Unfortunately extended families can't get together in households either," she said. "That is something that I really want to stress." Darren Chester, the federal Minister for Veteran Affairs and member for Gippsland, tweeted on Thursday that he had been stopped by NSW Police near Cooma and asked why he was travelling.