A MELBOURNE man tried twice to talk his way past staff at a COVID testing checkpoint at Harrietville on Friday night only to be turned away both times.
The man came back several hours after his initial attempt and tried to convince staff and police that he had proof of a negative COVID test.
However, he wasn’t able to show the text message required to proceed to the snowfield and became abusive to staff, police said.
Another two people tried and failed to get through on Sunday, while 60 were turned away for not having chains fitted to the wheels of their vehicles.
Police said most of the 582 people were checked on Saturday and 751 on Sunday and most had been ‘happy to comply’ with the testing requirement.
The numbers very similar to those of pre-COVID years, an early indication of a solid ski season given there are no further lockdowns.
Meanwhile, a ute had to be dragged over 30 metres up an embankment at Picnic Point after sliding on black ice off the roadway on Monday morning.
