Colombian mayor turns in son to police for breaking coronavirus curfew

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A mayor in Colombia has turned in his own son to the police for breaking a statewide curfew and liquor ban to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Carlos Higgins Villanueva, the mayor of the small town of Juan de Acosta in the northern state of Atlantico, said he personally led his son, his nephew and a man he called “a great friend” to the police station to set an example.

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"My family members are the first who have to respect these measures," he tweeted. “I will not allow them to put the lives of our villagers at risk just because they wanted to have some drinks.”

Higgins Villanueva saw a video of the three men celebrating Father’s Day outside the hours of the curfew and drinking, which had been temporarily banned for that weekend, El Tiempo reported.

The mayor posted photos of him driving the trio to the station, where he asked officers "to deal with the rule-breakers as they see fit.”

The men all received a summons and signed an act of commitment to perform community service, the paper reported.

Higgins Villanueva received praise on social media for his actions, with many users saying “the law starts at home.”

“I congratulate you Mr. Mayor, you make the difference between what is corrupt and what is right, in my opinion you are giving an excellent example of what is right,” one user wrote.

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Colombia has more than 95,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 3,300 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The hard-hit Atlantico state has more than 22,000 of the country's infections and about a third of its deaths.