A video of a police officer writing a ticket for a married couple is going viral on social media. Apparently, the officer took the decision to fine the couple for not wearing face masks… inside their own car.
The video was taken by the wife as she went live on social media to record the incident. Rightfully enraged, she followed the officer and went off on the caretaker interior minister Mohammed Fahmi.
“Mohammed Fahmi, who doesn’t have a spec of fehm (understanding),” she said, “will even follow us to our bed where we sleep and fine us for not wearing masks!”
The wife, who is a nurse at the Clémenceau Medical Center in Beirut, was with her husband and their two children in the car on their way to the hospital where she works when the officer stopped them.
“Let me see how much you’ll write the fine for … just to know if it will be as much as my salary and yours which have become $150 these days,” she exclaimed, following the officer.
However, you can tell in the video that the police officer doesn’t flinch or let alone say anything back to her. Instead, he is robotically doing his job without even stopping to consider the absurdity of penalizing the family.
Needless to point out to the fact that this is a family who lives together under one roof and doesn’t have to wear masks to protect themselves from each other. It is the same when they are together in their own car. Basically, they are putting no one at risk, have broken no rule, and should not be penalized.
The police officer just penalized one of the heroes at the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic, who has been risking her life daily to save others.
It is worth noting that, while citizens are getting penalized when they can barely afford their daily bread during this harsh economic crisis, Lebanese officials appear to be exempt from the rule when not wearing face masks in public or removing theirs in a crowd, or intentionally disregarding social distancing.
Such cases regarding officials have been many, like the health minister himself removing his mask to cough in a crowd, alongside the information minister not wearing a mask, and none of them social distancing.
Officials are not being fined when they are factually breaking the preventive measures.
