A group of hikers seeking to embark on a hike yesterday were stopped by police from doing so.
The hikers were sent home with only a warning when police came to the Lopinot Recreation Ground around 9 am after being called by concerned residents who noted a large number of cars in the area.
Police advised the group that such activities were in breach of the COVID-19 regulations and asked them to leave in groups of no more than five. The group of hikers reportedly complied without incident.
Police spoke to Michael Rampat, the leader of Fusion Adventures, who told the officers the event had been organised prior to the lockdown and it had been cancelled prior to yesterday.
Rampat told officers that members of the group were unaware of the cancellation and still showed up at Lopinot to complete the course.
A hike was part of a virtual course - an outdoor trail organised by hiking groups that are completed individually at the leisure of members as opposed to groups.
Following the incident, the hiking group Fusion Adventures sent out a message to their members.
The group said, “It was brought to our attention that there were many vehicles in Lopinot today as persons were attempting Mission Camel Back. It was our hope that the extension would have minimised this, however, based on observing more than 30 vehicles at the location; this is not evident. It should be noted that all vehicles may not be associated with persons registered for the event but this does not remove the risk involved.”
The group then confirmed that it would postpone the virtual course.
“We have taken the decision to postpone Mission Camel Back and revert after announcements on the 23rd of May 2021. In light of this, any efforts on the course after today until such time will not be considered. We apologise for any inconvenience but the safety of everyone is paramount,” the group said.
INFORMATION VIA GUARDIAN TT
Comments