A couple in the northern Italian city of Milan has been fined 400 euros by police after they kissed each other in public, violating Wuhan virus regulations.
The incident took place on October 9th when the couple, a 40-year-old Italian man and a Polish woman, had left their house to go out to a local restaurant. While walking hand in hand, the couple kissed each other and were almost immediately surrounded by police.
Officers asked the couple a number of questions, particularly of the woman who only spoke English and Polish, noting the pair had different addresses on their identification documents, newspaper Il Giornale reports.
The police then issued a 400 euro fine to the couple for breaking regulations that state people in public must remain at least several feet away from each other unless they are wearing a mask.
The only exceptions are given to people living together but as the couple’s identification showed different addresses the exception was not granted to them, despite the man showing photographic evidence the couple had been engaged for over two years. The 40-year-old Italian man has launched an appeal against the fine.
The incident comes just months after police in Rimini used drones, ATVs, and a jeep to hunt down a lone man laying completely alone in the middle of a local beach.
The operation was widely criticised by members of the Italian public after it went viral on social media, with many claiming it showed “dictatorial” overreach from the government while others praised the man for his social distancing efforts.
Other countries, such as Britain, have also seen large fines directed at those breaking social distancing rules. Last month, a student house party saw students served a £10,000 fine after around 50 guests showed up.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) made a U-turn and slammed coronavirus lockdowns for crashing the global economy and increasing global poverty.