Woman walking turtle in Rome is fined during coronavirus lockdown
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Roman police fined an Italian woman $440 for breaking strict coronavirus lockdown measures to walk her pizza-sized turtle on Monday, police said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Under the lockdown, Italian authorities have deemed walking a dog a justifiable reason to leave the house, but walking a turtle is apparently not acceptable. Jogging or bicycling has also been banned in the country that has faced 20,465 coronavirus deaths, second only to the U.S.
“The 60-year-old woman was caught outside her home without a justifiable reason" and fined, Roman police said, according to a statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The woman was walking with a turtle," police added.
Roman police spokesman Nunzio Carbone told AFP the turtle was “as big as a pizza” but not wearing a leash.
Pet owners across Europe have joked about renting out their dogs to those looking for an acceptable excuse to break quarantine.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Italian authorities issued a record 16,545 fines on Easter Monday, a national holiday in the predominantly Catholic country. An additional 13,756 fines were issued on Sunday.