Woman fined for taking turtle for a walk in Rome
[ROME] An Italian woman who took her pizza-sized turtle out for a walk has been fined 400 euros (S$621) by the Roman police for breaking strict coronavirus confinement rules.
Italians need a justifiable reason to be out on the street in the middle of a pandemic that has officially claimed more than 20,000 lives in the Mediterranean country since February.
Taking your dog out for a walk is viewed as a good enough reason to leave your home.
But it seems taking your turtle out for one is not.
The Roman police said "the 60-year-old woman was caught outside her home without a justifiable reason" and fined.
"The woman was walking with a turtle," the police statement said.
A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU
Lifestyle
Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself.
Roman police spokesman Nunzio Carbone told AFP that the woman was fined 400 euros because it was "not a justifiable excuse".
Italian authorities reported issuing a record 16,545 fines on Easter Monday - a national holiday in the largely Catholic country.
Another 13,756 fines were issue on Sunday.
Italians have been joking on social media about renting out their dogs to anyone who was going stir crazy and needed a good excuse to go out.
Mr Carbone said the turtle was "as big as a pizza" but not wearing a leash.
AFP
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Lifestyle
Former Zouk morphs into mod-Asian Jiak Kim House, serving laksa pasta and mushroom bak kut teh
Massimo Bottura lends star power to pizza and pasta at Torno Subito
Victor Liong pairs Aussie and Asian food with mixed results at Artyzen’s Quenino restaurant
If Jay Chou likes Ju Xing’s zi char, you might too
Mod-Sin cooking izakaya style at Focal
What the fish? Diving for flavour at Fysh – Aussie chef Josh Niland’s Singapore debut