Buyer arrested and JAILED for refusing to wear mask on busy center on first day of Perth lock
- A buyer spends 18 days in jail after refusing to wear a face mask in Perth
- Face masks are mandatory after a city and two regions are locked
- The 41-year-old reportedly refused to take a free mask from police on Monday
- He was arrested and denied bail in Perth Magistrates’ Court on Monday
A buyer spends 18 days in jail after refusing to wear a face mask on the first day of Perth coronavirus hard lock.
The 41-year-old was outside a shopping center on the Great Eastern Highway in Midland when police officers spoke to him on Monday.
Police claim the man did not have a face mask and asked him to do so, in accordance with the latest restrictions in the city.
Face masks were made mandatory as if the metropolitan part of Peel, Peel region and Southwest region were locked into a lock five days after a hotel quarantine security guard tested Covid-19.
A buyer spends 18 days in jail after refusing to wear a face mask on the first day of Perth coronavirus hard lock. Pictured: Police search the Covid-19 Clinic at Perth Royal Infirmary on Monday
The closure, which began at 6pm on Sunday, is expected to end on Friday.
Police said they offered the man a face mask to wear and he says he refused to take it from them.
The man, from Ellenbrook, was arrested and police insist he did not give him a full name and identify information.
He has been accused of failing to follow instructions and not complying with a request for personal information to be provided to the police.
The man appeared in Perth Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where bail was refused.
He will appear in Midland Magistrates’ Court on February 19.
Face masks were made mandatory as if the metropolitan part of Peel, Peel region and Southwest region were locked into lockdown five days after a hotel quarantine security guard tested Covid-19. Pictured: Residents walk Monday
A spokesman from WA Police said officers had first spoken to the man to make sure he was aware of the recently introduced legal requirement to wear a face mask in public.
‘When it was established that he did not have a face mask, he was offered one for free to help him comply with the legal requirement,’ the spokesman said.
At that stage there was no intention to arrest or prosecute the man.
However, once it was determined that the man was aware of the legal requirement, that he was now able to comply with that legal requirement, and that he continued to comply with the guidance, the -officers worked for the good of the community and arrested him.
The spokesperson said that everyone in the community has a common responsibility to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
‘While police officers operate under a‘ compassionate compliance ’approach, where it is a clear case of a person not complying with the guidelines, the police will work to protect the community,’ he said.
Police in a face mask can be seen talking to a member of the public in Perth on Monday