Man Fined Attempting To Trek From France To Spain

He probably would have made history in this season of social isolation, but a man’s attempt to get to Spain from France by foot, has not gone down well with the authorities

As a result, he is being fined for flouting anti-coronavirus regulations, after being rescued in the Pyrenees Mountains.

The man who has not been named had initially set out by car on Saturday from Perpignan in southern France to La Jonquera in Spain, according to AFP reports.

After being stopped at a checkpoint, he decided to make his way on foot across the mountain range that separates the two countries.

“He fell into a stream, in brambles, got lost and ended up contacting” the emergency services, a mountain unit of the gendarmerie police force in the Pyrenees-Orientales region said on Twitter on Sunday.

A helicopter was sent to rescue the man, “exhausted, shivering with cold and lost,” it added.

After being brought safely back, the man was given the 135-euro ($146) fine for breaking the confinement rules under which French residents can leave their homes only for essential reasons, and then with a self-certified note stating their business.

“We remind you once more. Stay at home,” concluded the gendarmerie’s Tweet.

Many people in southern France cross the border to buy cigarettes, alcohol, some foodstuffs and fuel, which are cheaper in Spain.