Two lost bushwalkers will be fined for Covid restriction breaches after they were rescued by the SES.
ACT Policing said they received a call from a 28-year-old man and 24-year-old woman at 4.25pm on Saturday.
The pair had gotten lost in Coree bushland during a planned 12-kilometre hike. They were found by Search and Rescue and SES workers nearly four hours later.
ACT Policing said they would be fined for trying to exercise for longer than the one hour permitted.
"These people went looking for a loophole in the COVID-19 regulations and will receive a fine for breaching the public health directions," Detective Inspector Donna Hofmeier said.
"The Covid rules in the ACT are clear - they allow for one hour of outdoor exercise a day. These people had planned a 12-kilometre hike, which would obviously take more than an hour to complete.
"They were insufficiently equipped for it, making it almost inevitable things would go wrong. Once they called for help, considerable police and emergency service resources were required to locate them and get them to safety.
"I hope this serves as a lesson, not just to these hikers, but to the whole community at this time."
