SANTIAGO – Chilean President Sebastian Piñera has been fined US$3,500 for breaching coronavirus rules by posing for a selfie on the beach with a bystander without wearing a mask as required during the pandemic.
Piñera, the 71-year-old billionaire businessman, apologised and then turned himself in shortly after the selfie surfaced on social media in early December.
The president also admitted he should have worn a mask when the woman requested a photo on a beach near his home in the town of Cachagua, the BioBioChile reported.
The South American country has strict rules on mask wearing in all public places and violations are punishable with sanctions that include fines and even jail terms.
Chile has reported 581,135 cases of the virus since the outbreak began in March, and 16,051 deaths from the disease.
