Pokémon no-Go

By Romy Stephens

Two men playing Pokémon in Seville were among the list of Covid-19 related fines Victoria Police issued over the past week.

Police said they intercepted two men in a vehicle parked in the carpark of a goods store in Seville on 13 July.

It’s alleged that when police asked the reason for them being out the men stated they were playing Pokémon which police said wasn’t a valid reason for being out.

Police said the men then changed their story but were unable to validate their claims and were then issued fines for breaching the Chief Health Officer directions.

Over the past 24 hours, police have issued 63 fines to individuals, with 21 of these fines issued at vehicle checkpoints.

Since Stage 3 restrictions were implemented on 8 July, police have issued 546 infringement notices and conducted over 100,000 checks.

Other examples of fines issued recently included 10 people gathered for a party in Docklands and a man who refused to leave the dining area of a fast food store in Dandenong.

Police Minister Lisa Neville said it was concerning to see numerous fines being issued.

“There are examples of people deliberately flouting the rules and this is incredibly disappointing,” she said.

“We all need to work together to slow the spread of coronavirus and if you refuse to do that, you will face the consequences.”