CAMPERS are failing to check in and overstaying their welcome at campsites across Townsville, forcing council to conduct a COVID-19 compliance blitz.
Townsville City Council community health and safety committee chair Margie Ryder said council may be forced to close the campsites down ahead of the school holidays if people were found to be doing the wrong thing.
"The results of the blitz will be crucial to determining if we can keep these campgrounds open with the school holidays and long weekend coming up," Cr Ryder said.
"Our officers will not be lenient with people doing the wrong thing and they will be issuing penalty infringements to those that are caught and working with the police to move people on.
"Our city has been very lucky through the COVID pandemic and we can't have the minority risking the health and safety of the rest of our community."
Cr Ryder said the compliance blitz would start on Saturday, and the results would determine if the campgrounds would remain open to the public.
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said council had received reports of several people not following the COVID-19 guidelines.
"We opened our campgrounds back up to travellers in good faith that people would do the right thing and that they would be traceable should we get any reported cases in Townsville again," Cr Hill said.
"It is beyond disappointing to see that people aren't signing in to the campgrounds, that they are staying longer than allowed, and that we have to increase patrols to monitor this
"It is really not acceptable that there are people who are doing the wrong thing and flaunting the guidelines that have been put in place to protect our entire community."
