Nude sunbathers running from deer fined for violating Sydney lockdown
By Lilit Marcus, CNN
Two men in Australia have been fined $760 each for violating Sydney‘s latest round of lockdowns after police found them naked and lost in the bush as they apparently fled from a wild animal.
Officers in a police helicopter spotted the pair sunbathing naked on a beach in Royal National Park south of Sydney, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller told a news briefing on Monday.
“Unbelievably, we saw two men sunbaking naked on a beach on the South Coast. They were startled by a deer, ran into the national forest, national park, and got lost,” Fuller said. “Not only did they require assistance from SES (State Emergency Service) and police to rescue them, they also both received a ticket.”
Fuller shared the story as part of a larger status update regarding New South Wales’ lockdowns. The restrictions were ordered amid a small outbreak of coronavirus cases traced to Sydney’s Bondi neighborhood in which patients were confirmed to have the Delta variant, first identified in India.
Stay-at-home orders are now in effect for all of Greater Sydney — the country’s biggest city — as well as the South Coast and Blue Mountains, both popular recreation spots.
Asked for additional details on the two men, Fuller said: “As the health minister said yesterday, it’s difficult to legislate against idiots. But clearly putting people at risk by leaving home without a proper reason, and I think then not only on top of that, but then getting lost in the national park and diverting important resources away from the health operation, I think they should be embarrassed.
“I can assure you, if you breach the health orders or the guidelines, you will be punished,” he added.
The commissioner said police had issued 44 fines related to the lockdowns over the June 26-27 weekend, although most were for much less colorful violations, like lack of mask wearing.
The stay-at-home orders are in effect until at least July 9.
If the two sunbathers are too embarrassed to ever show their faces (or any other body parts) outside again, they can find some solace in other stories of people being fined for violating coronavirus protocols.
A man in Taiwan was fined $3,500 for leaving his quarantine facility for a grand total of eight seconds, while a man in Singapore was sentenced to two weeks in prison for sneaking out of his quarantine hotel to see his fiancee.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Angus Watson contributed reporting.
