Laurence Dollimore
A SURFER has been dragged off a Spanish beach by men in hazmat suits for practising the sport after testing positive for coronavirus.
The young woman was on sick leave after receiving the diagnosis but instead of carrying out the mandatory 14-day quarantine, decided to ride the waves at La Zurriola beach in San Sebastian.
Someone who knew the woman called the authorities after seeing her in the water, knowing that she was supposed to be at home in self-isolation.
Health authorities enacted protocol, which saw several people arrive donning hazmat suits to remove the woman from the area.
At first the belligerent woman refused to leave the water, despite being ordered to do so by the lifeguard and authorities.
She eventually came ashore and was handcuffed and arrested for ‘serious disobedience’.
Several areas of the beach had to be cordoned off for the safety of other swimmers until the woman was transferred to the police station, where COVID-19 protocol was practiced at all times, although she was released hours later.
The unnamed woman was working as a lifeguard on the nearby La Concha beach when she tested positive for COVID-19 a few days ago.
A colleague rang the alarm after seeing her in the water when she should have been at home in quarantine.
Others at the beach were furious at the woman’s refusal to leave the water and her attitude shown to the authorities, witnesses said.
According to current legislation, she could face a fine of €60,000 to €600,000 for committing a serious offence under the Public Health Law, which details ‘behaviour which introduces a risk or a very serious illness into the health of the population.’
