Coronavirus fears as Krispy Kreme offer attracts large number of people across NSW – ABC News

NSW Police have branded a Krispy Kreme promotion as “nonsensical” as large groups of people queued for free doughnuts.
Key points:

• Police say action will be taken if social distancing breaches occurred
• Krispy Kreme cancelled another promotion on Tuesday
• Businesses have been urged to “act responsibly” during the health crisis

Police were called to patrol social distancing among doughnut-loving crowds in NSW yesterday.
The Krispy Kreme chain ran a giveaway offering a dozen doughnuts free to anyone who had a birthday between mid-March and mid-July, to celebrate the company’s 83rd birthday.
As news of the free doughnuts spread, concern grew that social distancing was not being observed among those lining up at stores.
NSW Police confirmed general duties, traffic patrol and riot squad officers were among those called to “a number” of locations across Sydney on Monday.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Tony Cooke urged businesses to “act responsibly” during the health crisis.
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“This is nonsensical and defies logic,” he said in a statement.
“We have people in NSW who have lost jobs, people who have missed the opportunity to farewell their loved ones at funerals, and of course, people who have lost their lives due to COVID-19.”
He said promotions like the Krispy Kreme giveaway did nothing to assist in maintaining social distancing, describing that as being “vital to stopping the spread of the virus”.
Police are now examining which, if any, breaches may have occurred and have warned they will “take appropriate action where required”.
Customers were asked to bring photo ID into stores to collect their freebies and the company estimated it was going to give away 350,000 doughnuts.
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Krispy Kreme had warned early on Monday that it was “crucial the celebration stays safe”.
In a Facebook post, it said: “All government guidelines must be followed and customers will be required to comply with social-distancing rules at all times”.
By Monday afternoon all stores had sold out, according to an update on the company’s Facebook page.
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Those who secured their free doughnuts were highly complimentary of the promotion, thanking the company and gloating online with photos of their glazed treats.
Others lamented arriving at their local store only after it had sold out.
The company also planned to run another promotion later this week, but on Tuesday said it had postponed it due to the “developing” COVID-19 situation.
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