Cape Town – A video has gone viral of a woman wearing a backpack, who had gone jogging, being arrested – in what appears to be Bloubergstrand in Cape Town – by three police officers.
For the woman in question, it was a life-threatening situation, judging by the explicit language she used, with her major concern seemingly being the 1.5- to 2-metre physical distancing gap recommended by the government to combat the spread of the coronavirus not being adhered to.
She can be heard repeatedly shouting, “you are not allowed to touch me", as the officers, who are wearing protective gear, attempt to force her into a police van.
A social media user posted: "She’s resisting arrest, why are these guys so nice to her?"
Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa told the Cape Argus that Table View police officials on patrol on Tuesday spotted a 41-year-old woman running along the beach at 14.25pm.
“Upon approaching her, they duly advised the person in question that exercising under level 4 of lockdown was permitted only between 6:00 and 09:00,” Potelwa said.
“As she resisted the arrest and swore at police during the arrest, additional charges relating to resisting arrest and crimen injuria were added."
While the woman, who will appear in court on September 2, desperately trying to squirm out of the clutches of the officers is concerned for her own safety, SAPS members are daily putting their lives at risk – either out in the streets or at their stations – during the Covid-19 pandemic.
By the end of last month, a police officer had died and more than 100 tested positive nationally, including 56 in the Western Cape.
On Monday, TimesLive reported that 29 officials had tested positive for Covid-19 at Cape Town’s largest police station in the CBD, citing a reliable source.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said: "A police officer may physically restrain a suspect provided that the police officer is wearing the required PPEs (personal protective equipment)."
In Thoothukudi in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, in order to ensure physical distancing during routine lockdown checks, police are using placards asking citizens to halt their vehicles and co-operate during the questioning without coming close, the Hindu newspaper reported.
A police officer will show a first placard asking motorists to stop the vehicle and get out. A second placard asks them if they have a mask, if they aren't wearing one.
If they don't have one, the officer will show a third placard, asking them to show their vehicle records from a distance of 3m, also checking if they have a genuine reason to have left their home.
"The objective is to ensure the safety of police personnel through physical distancing. Without exchanging a word with violators, the officer will get the information required to either register a case against them or permit them to proceed if the reason for leaving their homes is found to be genuine,” the Thoothukudi police chief said.
Naidoo said: "We don't use placards. Not all the police officers that have been infected are in the frontline and not all police officers infected were actually infected by clients or colleagues.
"We have had instances were police officers were infected by family and relatives too."