"It is with a significant level of disappointment that we have to move today to not only remove people from Bondi Beach, but use this as an opportunity to remind everybody that the Health Act must be complied with. "This is not something we're doing because we're the fun police, this is not something the government is doing to make life easy. This is about saving lives." Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Mr Elliott said surf lifesavers will advise police if they believed numbers on beaches exceeded 500 people. The surf lifesavers will then close the beach and order people to move on. Police will have powers to move on anyone who did not comply with those orders. Mr Elliott said police would patrol Bondi Beach "if necessary".

Waverley Council scrambled to act on the directive on Saturday. Mayor Paula Masselos said closing the beaches temporarily would allow the council to plan how it can comply with the restrictions. She did not say when the beaches would re-open. "We have only just found out about this announcement, and need time to work through how it translates to the practical day-to-day," Cr Masselos said. Beachgoers are seen at Bondi Beach on Saturday morning despite the threat of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Sydney. Credit:Steven Siewert Assistant Police Commissioner Karen Webb said it was "a last resort" for the police to intervene to remove people from the beach. "But we will be asking people to comply with those health orders where appropriate and necessary," she said. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on Saturday blasted Bondi's beachgoers for "putting others at risk" on Friday afternoon and warned the federal government would be forced to resort to lockdowns if the behaviour continued.

Loading "What happened in Bondi was unacceptable, and the local council must take steps to stop that from occurring," Mr Hunt told reporters in Melbourne on Saturday. "This is all of our responsibility, each of us ... I would say to everybody, we are all in this together." Mr Hunt warned if local authorities failed to stop people from congregating in large numbers the federal government would consider locking down parts of Sydney and Melbourne, as foreshadowed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday. "[W]e will not hesitate ... to make sure these provisions are enforced," Mr Hunt said. Mr Elliott also said that if the community did not comply with regulations and the health warnings "then this is going to become the new norm".

"We will be closing down the type of iconic activities that unfortunately we've come to know to love and adore about our lifestyle," he said. NSW Liberal MP James Griffin, whose seat takes in Manly, said he did not want the suburb's popular beach to be shut down for the duration of the crisis. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "I hope it doesn't come to that, however if people continue to disregard official health advice, then a closure is likely to take place," he told The Sun-Herald. Earlier on Saturday, before the beach was closed, Bondi regular Sam Sirianni said he was "not really" worried about visiting the beach. "I keep my distance from people," he said. "As you can see, I'm laying by myself."