MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2020) More than 400 people have been detained at a protest against the current coronavirus disease restrictions currently in force in the Australian city of Melbourne on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Victoria Police told the Guardian Australia news portal.
Law enforcement officers stepped in to break up the protest, which violated the current regulations permitting a maximum of 10 people to demonstrate no more than 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) from their home while wearing masks, the spokeswoman said, adding that 395 people were issued fines following the incident.
"Victoria police will not hesitate to fine those who clearly and blatantly breach the chief health officer directions," the spokeswoman said, as quoted by the portal.
Officers used pepper spray to disperse the protesters, and one policewoman was taken to hospital for treatment with a suspected broken arm, the portal cited the police force as saying.
Victoria has been Australia's epicenter of COVID-19, as nearly three-quarters of the country's 27,610 cases have been registered in the state. Stringent lockdown measures were put into force by the state's government to curb the spread of the disease, although the authorities eased the restrictions in mid-October, allowing as many as 10 people from two different households to gather.
A further easing of the social distancing measures is expected to take place on November 8. According to domestic media reports, the 25-kilometer limit on travel and the current restrictions on journeys from Melbourne to the rest of Victoria state will be lifted on this date.
