Man Caught Not Wearing Mask In Public, Insists On Finishing His Exercise In Front Of Police

Maskless man ignores police warnings to finish his exercise

COVID-19 remains a major danger in Saigon, infecting over a thousand new patients every day. To curb the spread of the virus, the city has entered the highest stage of restrictions as of 9th July. All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings of more than 2 are prohibited, and citizens are urged not to go out unless necessary. And of course, masks are mandatory in public areas.

But being cooped up at home for several weeks is not easy, and it’s not uncommon to spot people going out for jogs and strolls despite the orders. In a particularly blatant case, a maskless man insists on staying outdoor on the sidewalk to finish his exercise, ignoring two policemen who came to warn him.

Read on for footage of the bizarre occurrence.

The man continued with his exercise when the police came to ask him to leave

Video credit: 8 Da Nang

Over the weekend, thousands of netizens in Vietnam have found themselves both bewildered and amused at the absurdity of a viral video surfacing on social media.

The recording shows a young man exercising on the sidewalk in a park. The incident wouldn’t have been anything out of the ordinary, if it hadn’t taken place in Saigon, reportedly on the afternoon of 9th July. Earlier that day, Saigon had entered a social distancing phase where such activities were banned.

Video credit: 8 Da Nang

Sure enough, two policemen came to ask the man to leave. But weirdly, he acted as if he didn’t notice the policemen’s presence, continuing with his exercise despite their warnings. This left the policemen confused, uncertain of what to do.

It’s unclear how long they maintained this stalemate for. However, the video continues for a good 5 minutes, during which the man is seen performing pushups, squats, and a variety of stretches as the policemen stood by and watched.

But if the man thought he could get away with breaking the laws that easily, he was sorely mistaken.

The man got a fine for his action

Video credit: 8 Da Nang

Despite all his stunts, the man ultimately had to acknowledge the laws. Granted, it took “a great deal of convincing”, according to Tuổi Trẻ, but in the end, he was taken to the local police station to answer for his violations.

The man was then given a fine of VND4,000,000 (~USD174.14), both for not wearing a mask in public and for going out when not necessary.

Clearly, his “ignore a problem until it goes away” strategy didn’t work.

Adhere to regulations and stay safe

It would seem the man in the video paid a lot of attention to maintaining his wellbeing, but at the same time, we’re not sure if being outside without a mask in the middle of a pandemic is the best way to stay healthy. Regardless, his action was a blatant violation of social distancing policies, and the fine he got was well-deserved.

We understand that having to stay indoors for weeks is not fun, but at the same time, it is necessary to contain the virus. So let’s adhere to the rules responsibly so that this outbreak can be over quickly and we can once again rejoice.

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Cover image adapted from 8 Da Nang

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