The mayor was out drinking with his friends
Images adapted from: Oddity Central and Revista Lima Gris
Usually, we hear about citizens breaking curfews and lockdown rules, sometimes to see their family but other times because they miss having fun.
On 9th May, a Peruvian town mayor got caught drinking with his friends and tried to fake his death to avoid getting in trouble.
He laid in a coffin to avoid arrest
The drunk mayor and a friend lay in quiet repose while still wearing face masks
Image credit: Oddity Central
Jaime Uriba Torres, the mayor of the Peruvian town Tantara, was reportedly out drinking with friends on a Monday night in an undisclosed location. The police found out and came to arrest them.
Rather than get arrested for a stiff drink, the mayor pretended to be a stiff instead. Friends laid alongside Torrest in open coffins, pretending to be dead.
Torres, presumably at the police station after the arrest
Image adapted from: Revista Lima Gris
No one knows why there were open coffins or where they were, but the ruse did not work, and they were promptly arrested.
Locals found the mayor irresponsible
Image adapted from: Lima Gris
The mayor reportedly neglected his duties and was absent from the town for most of the lockdown, spending “just 8 days” out of the many months in lockdown, reported The Sun.
He also did not take safety measures seriously and risked local’s health by not enforcing checks for those entering the town and providing quarantine shelters.
Peruvian soldiers at the Peru-Bolivia border during lockdown border closure
Image credit: Reuters
Peru has been in a national lockdown since mid-March, and currently has over 200,000 coronavirus cases.
Party when it’s over
It’s understandably taking longer to go back to normalcy even after months of lockdown. While officials warn citizens to follow the rules in place, they feel just as anxious to let loose.
While people in charge fail to set an example, you shouldn’t also slip up. Rules aren’t there to be broken but to keep people safe.
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