Woman Arrested By Police In Hazmat Suits For Surfing Following Positive Covid-19 Test

A woman in Spain who tested positive for coronavirus has been arrested for surfing when she should have been in quarantine. You can watch the arrest here:

The unnamed woman was handcuffed by officers in hazmat suits on Monday (7 September) at Zurriola beach in San Sebastián, in the Basque Country, after she refused to stop surfing and reportedly attempted to flee.

The woman, who works as a lifeguard at La Concha beach, was arrested for disobeying authorities and crimes against public health, according to Spanish newspaper El País.

Officers responded to reports that a woman who should be self-isolating was surfing at around noon, but after being approached by a lifeboat and told to go to shore, the woman continued surfing for another hour.

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Upon returning to land she was arrested and an area of the beach was cordoned off to the public.

She was released several hours later, but she could be fined between €3,000 (£2,710) and €6,000 (£5,420) for the quarantine breach, and up to €120,000 (£108,405) if she's thought to have passed coronavirus on to someone else, according to El Diario Vasco.

The publication reports that she tested positive a few days ago and it was her colleagues who told police she was breaching quarantine.

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In the UK, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned of a second wave if young people flout social distancing rules.

Referencing France and Spain, he told BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat: "The numbers have been going up. And we've seen in other countries where this leads, and it is not a good place.

"Where that second wave started largely amongst younger people, it then spreads. And now we're seeing a sharp rise in the number of people in hospital and the number of people who are dying in those countries.

"That hasn't happened here yet. And if people follow the social distancing rules, then we can stop that from happening here."

He added: "Don't kill your gran by catching coronavirus and then passing it on."

Topics: World News, Surfing, Coronavirus, crime, Spain

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey