Female surfer is dragged away by hazmat-wearing officials and arrested on Spanish beach after going in the sea while infected with Covid-19

 

  • The unnamed woman had worked as a lifeguard at the beach in San Sebastian
  • Her colleagues were the ones to call the police after they saw her surfing
  • She faces a fine of up to £5,500 for breaching Spain's strict quarantine rules
  • However, this could rise to over £100,000 if she is found to have spread Covid-19

A woman was arrested on a Spanish beach after going surfing while she was suffering from coronavirus.

Police handcuffed her on La Zurriola beach in the northern city of San Sebastian.

She was held on suspicion of a crime of disobedience after reportedly ignoring officers who ordered her out of the water for several minutes before heading back to the shoreline.

Local reports said the unnamed woman had worked as a lifeguard at San Sebastian's famous La Concha beach this summer and colleagues were the ones who phoned police after spotting her in the water.

Photos published by a local paper showed two people in hazmat suits escorting her on the sand in a neoprene top and bikini bottom with a face mask on.

A woman (pictured wearing a neoprene top and bikini bottom) was arrested on a Spanish beach after going surfing while she was suffering from coronavirus
After being handcuffed, she was then seen being leg away by officials wearing hazmat suits (pictured)

A woman (pictured wearing a neoprene top and bikini bottom) was arrested on a Spanish beach after going surfing while she was suffering from coronavirus. After being handcuffed, she was then seen being leg away by officials wearing hazmat suits (pictured left and right)

The woman was held on suspicion of a crime of disobedience after reportedly ignoring officers who ordered her out of the water for several minutes before heading back to the shoreline

She is expected to face a heavy fine for breaching strict quarantine rules which could be up to £5,500. 

However, if it is discovered she has passed coronavirus on to another person through her actions, the fine would be more than £100,000.

The arrested woman has not been named.

Police handcuffed her on La Zurriola beach in the northern city of San Sebastian after she initially ignored their requests for her to return to shore. She faces a fine of up to £5,500, but this could rise to more than £100,000 if she is found to have spread the disease to others

Police handcuffed her on La Zurriola beach in the northern city of San Sebastian after she initially ignored their requests for her to return to shore. She faces a fine of up to £5,500, but this could rise to more than £100,000 if she is found to have spread the disease to others

Pictured: An officer wearing a hazmat suit (left) runs down the beach towards the woman

Pictured: An officer wearing a hazmat suit (left) runs down the beach towards the woman

On Saturday, six police officers were filmed forcing a woman into a police car and hitting her head on the vehicle during an arrest for not wearing a mask.

The incident happened in the Spanish capital of Madrid during protests by hundreds of coronavirus deniers.

It was not clear whether the woman was participating in the street demonstrations, but onlookers could be heard shouting 'Libertad!'

The unidentified woman was detained in the Spanish capital on Saturday during protests by hundreds of coronavirus deniers
The unidentified woman was detained in the Spanish capital on Saturday during protests by hundreds of coronavirus deniers

The unidentified woman was detained in the Spanish capital on Saturday during protests by hundreds of coronavirus deniers (pictured: struggling with officers before being shoved into the back of the police car)

People could be heard groaning when officers rammed the woman headlong into the vehicle as she put up staunch resistance.

'I am not going to put on the face mask,' the woman yelled at the officers at the beginning of the encounter.

After showing no signs of compliance, officers led the screaming woman into their patrol car, but were unable to place her inside and she yelled for witnesses to 'Film them!'

The cops were forced to wrestle with the suspect for about a minute, with some witnesses criticising them for being too rough.

Several cops were seen placing their hands on top of the woman's head to try to put her in the car while she shouted for help.

Officers seize the woman on the streets of Madrid
The woman provided staunch resistance to the officers who resorted to forcefully shoving her head into the side of their vehicle

The woman provided staunch resistance to the officers who resorted to forcefully shoving her head into the side of their vehicle

The police were eventually able to force her inside the vehicle after picking her up and sliding her in horizontally.

Several witnesses then start chanting 'Freedom' after she was finally put inside the vehicle and officers quickly closed the door after her.

It is unclear if there is an open investigation on the incident. 

Authorities report around 500 people attended the COVID-19 conspiracy march which they organised via social media and did not notify the government. 

Police claim they identified 110 people who were not wearing masks.

The protest resulted in 13 detentions, however, it is unclear if the woman's arrest was included in this number.

Those arrested for not wearing their masks face a fine between £260 and £535. 

On Monday, Spain became the first country in Western Europe to register 500,000 coronavirus infections.

Health Ministry data showed a total of 525,549 cases, up from 498,989 on Friday, and 2,440 infections registered in the previous 24 hours. 

Spain updates its data retroactively, so the latest numbers could be revised.

Recent infections have been more common among younger people who often develop no symptoms thanks to their stronger immune systems.

The death rate remains far below the March-April peak when daily fatalities routinely exceeded 800.

People enjoy a warm afternoon at Sant Sebastian beach, in Barcelona on September 5 after one of the world's toughest lockdowns

People enjoy a warm afternoon at Sant Sebastian beach, in Barcelona on September 5 after one of the world's toughest lockdowns

In contrast, on Monday Spain recorded 98 new coronavirus-related deaths since Friday. 

Despite the unwanted milestone, unlike then, hospitals have enough beds to treat Covid-19 patients.

After a first wave in spring that ravaged Spain's elderly population and overwhelmed the hospital system, authorities brought the outbreak under control with the help of one of the world's toughest lockdowns.

But as restrictions on movement were lifted and mass testing began in late June, infections rose from a few hundred a day to a new peak of over 10,000 around 10 days ago, outstripping other hard-hit nations such as France, Britain and Italy.

The overall mortality rate since the pandemic first struck is around 6% in Spain, lower than in Italy, Britain and France. 

Madrid officers force woman into police car for not wearing a mask
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