SPORTING and other community organisations are encouraged to exercise "civic leadership" during the coronavirus pandemic to help keep Bathurst residents safe.
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Bathurst's top cop, Detective Superintendent Peter O'Brien, the Commander of Chifley Police District, has expressed his concern about groups travelling to the region from COVID-19 hotspots to participate in activities.
It comes after sporting teams have travelled from parts of Sydney to play against Bathurst players, which will occur again this weekend.
Supt O'Brien said sport is not essential in the current climate, where new cases of the virus are recorded daily and there is no vaccine.
"I'm concerned about any large group that congregates here in regional areas, especially in Bathurst, and all I can say is that I hope the sporting groups that have given this the all clear are aware of and following all the COVID health directives and the health practices that need to be done for a safe event," he said.
"There have been a lot of sporting clubs around Bathurst who are showing some civic leadership here by cancelling events and postponing events, and my mind still boggles as to why people are allowing these events to take place when its clear there is a very high risk of transmission of the virus by supporting these types of activities.
"These aren't activities that need to happen."
He has made similar comments regarding the Bathurst 1000, saying that the event should be cancelled for 2020 as the risks presented by COVID-19 outweigh the benefits of holding the event.
At this stage, the event is scheduled to be held from October 8 to 11 and there's no word yet on whether or not spectators will be allowed.
While police are regularly patrolling the city and keeping an eye on sporting events to ensure health orders are being followed, Supt O'Brien said there are limited resources and police can't be everywhere.
"We've got our COVID patrols we are doing in and around licensed premises, in and around the sporting fields, in and around the whole command, but there's only so many of us to get around," he said.
"Whilst COVID-19 is now one of our core business activities, we still have a whole range of other activities that we've got to do, so we are stretched like everyone else because of this and that's why we need some civic leadership from everybody to assist everybody contain the spread, and that's been the message from day one.
"... One part of the community can't do one thing and then the other part doesn't do anything, it's got to be a collective, and unfortunately we're not seeing that."
