Story By: Maja Mishevksa, Sub Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

A woman in the Italian capital Rome who broke quarantine so she could take her pet tortoise for a walk has been fined after police refused to accept the pet needed to get fresh air.

The 60-year-old woman, whose name has not been revealed, was seen by the Italian police walking the tortoise in the district of Rome Centocelle, in the Italian capital Rome.

Police said the notice that the woman was walking very slowly and that she had a turtle and when they questioned her, she said that the turtle needs to go for walk.

The woman was fined 400 EUR (349 GBP) for breaking the quarantine rules and going outside without justification.

Local media reported that in Italy, many people had broken the rules to celebrate the Easter bank holiday and there were a record number of fines.

The Interior Ministry reported that between Sunday and Monday, 465,000 controls were carried out and 30,300 fines were issued.

According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, Italy has registered 162,488 cases of COVID-19, with 21,067 deaths.

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