KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 — A couple in Canada was fined for flouting Covid-19 curfew rules after the woman was caught walking her husband on a leash.
When stopped by police, she reportedly told them she was just “walking her dog” and the pair were fined CA$1,546 (RM4,900) each, local newspaper La Tribune reported.
The faux canine incident took place in Sherbrooke, a city in southern Quebec.
The story made headlines in several international news sites including the BBC, Daily Mail and New York Post.
Quebec province enforced a curfew that began on Saturday between 8pm and 5am to curb the spread of Covid-19 infections.
However, walking a dog close to home is allowed during those hours.
The pair were caught with their creative act around 9pm on Saturday, about an hour into the new curfew rules.
The woman and her husband told police they were merely following the rule for home pets.
The couple “did not cooperate with the police at all”, Sherbrooke Police Department’s Isabelle Gendron told La Tribune.
A total of 750 tickets for violations were issued by Quebec police across the province during the first weekend of the newly imposed curfew, as part of a four-week lockdown.
Canada has seen a recent spike in Covid-19 cases, recording more than 670,000 total cases since the pandemic began.
“I know it’s difficult, but Quebeckers are able to work as a team when necessary,” Quebec premier François Legault said on Monday, calling on residents to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
He added that the situation in Montreal, Quebec’s largest city was in a critical state with hospitals nearing the breaking point where they would be unable to treat all patients.
