A man has received a $1652 fine for entering the Melbourne CBD to hunt for Pokemon during lockdown. Photo / Getty
Eyebrows were raised when a Melbourne tradie entered the CBD for butter chicken during lockdown last month.
Now, a Sunshine man is making his case for the most absurd reason to be in the city.
Victoria Police say the unnamed individual travelled 13km from the city's western suburbs on Sunday to play Pokemon Go – the augmented reality game where users detect Pokemon characters on their phone's GPS and try to "catch them".
For his efforts, he received a fine of $1652.
He was one of 172 people who breached the chief health officer's directions which stipulate Melburnians must stay home except when working, studying, exercising, shopping or for medical care.
There were 27 fines handed out to people who left home without a face covering and 22 fines issued at vehicle checkpoints as Victorians tried to travel for reasons that are not permitted.
Victoria Police also said a Keilor man was fined for trying to travel to his holiday home on the Surf Coast, a woman was fined at Southern Cross Station for trying to travel to Bendigo, two men were fined at a fast-food outlet in Hobsons Bay after staying at a friend's house in Altona and a group of people were fined for celebrating a birthday at a short-term rental in Point Cook.
Other fines were issued on Friday and Saturday to five people who gathered at a licenced venue in the CBD for a birthday, 10 guests at a party in Wyndham and five people who gathered for a religious ceremony at a factory in Dandenong.
Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday that fines would also be issued to more Victorians who were not at home when members of the Australian Defence Force knocked on their door.
The ADF were doorknocking homes of individuals who had tested positive to Covid-19 and should have been self-isolating.
He said he was open to increasing fines to individuals who were not at home when they should have been.
"If Victoria Police came to me and said we need further tools, I wouldn't hesitate," Andrews told reporters.
"We can no longer have people simply out and about for no good reason whatsoever," he said.
Victoria is expected to record more than 420 additional cases on Monday.
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