Man Tries to Cross Pyrenees on Foot to Get Cigarettes

Breaking lockdown in the process
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 6, 2020 4:20 PM CDT
Man Breaks Lockdown to Cross Mountains for Cigarettes
A stock photo of the Pyrenees.   (Getty Images)

Determination or idiocy? You decide. A Frenchman decided to head from his home in southern France and cross the border into Spain to buy inexpensive cigarettes. But his drive to La Jonquera was stymied by a police checkpoint. Rather than return home to Perpignan and abide by the lockdown regulations in place, authorities say he decided to cross the Pyrénées by foot—but ran into misfortune during his attempt. Rescuers say that after falling in a stream and tussling with brambles he found himself lost and cold around the border village of Le Perthus. He phoned for help, and CNN reports he was quickly sighted, removed via helicopter, and returned to Perpignan. His fine for breaking lockdown, per the Guardian: just shy of $150. (More lockdown stories.)

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