Police on the island of Limnos has apparently taken its role to monitor that citizens keep the lockdown measures much to seriously and thus to an extend that is beyond any logic. They fined an older man for not wearing sports gear and shoes during exercise. Last month, they also fined a marathon-runner for not wearing mask during exercise although this is allowed.
Police officers from the Myrina police station stopped a 56-year-old man for control. The man was wearing a mask and was walking home with a coffee-to-go and a bread loaf in his hands. During the control, officers claimed to have found out that the man had “cheated” the lockdown exit options. He had sent an SMS to 13033 with option <6> for “exercise.”
Police claimed that the option was “false” and he should have sent <2> for “supermarket supplies.”
They fined him with 300 euros under the pretext of “unnecessary movement.”
His son made a denouncement to local media LimnosFM100 saying that his father takes a walk every morning and that the bread was given to him by his mother to bring it home.
“Police told my father that if he is out for ‘physical exercise’ <6> he should also wear sports gear and sneakers,” the son wrote in his denouncement.
“The goal of the restrictive measures is to wear masks, to keep our distance and to avoid unnecessary movements. So if it is to punish someone you do it in order to set an example so that he won’t do it again.”
But “why punish an old man, upset him, create a financial problem for him, because 300 euros is almost half a month’s salary, while he was wearing his mask and had sent a message?”
I t looks as if officers at Myrina Police Station are zealously issuing fines for the false reasons, maybe with the aim to increase revenues?.
Last month, they fined with €300 a marathon-runner for not wearing mask during exercise. And this even though wearing mask during exercise is not mandatory for practical reasons. The marathon-runner is well-known for his activities on the island, noted limnosreport.gr.
According to the local media website, the police station on Myrina has issued several similar fines for the same reasons.
Does police on Limnos hate people doing sports?
A fined citizen can appeal the fine within 3 days.
Local and social media are full of denouements about police deliberate fines during the lockdown.
My husband and I tick the exercise box,we go for a walk,that is good old fashioned exercise,I wear what ever clothes or shoes I like,maybe not sport stuff,maybe I aint got none,its not stipulated to do so.Gestapo at our doors,and on the way home we buy a take-away coffee and we sit in the square by the church and watch the world go by,we dont touch them,dont go near them,dont breath on them,we are sensible enough to know the risks and we dont do stupid things to endanger others.Can the same be said for our Prime Minister?dont mention that now,thats well under the carpet.
My wife and I follow the exact same regimen but were hoping to extend our exercise walk to another more distant location. As you say, “Gestapo” like tactics are just wrong towards people trying to live a peaceful life and not endangering others.