More than a dozen university students have been fined $13,000 for breaching Covid health directions and a 34-year-old man have been charged for allegedly breaching health compliance.
ACT Policing said that about 12.55pm on Friday, officers were patrolling a Canberra City shopping centre where they responded to a request for help from a shop staff member.
The staff member alleged he had been verbally abused when alerting the man to use the Check in CBR app when entering the store.
Police spoke to the Campbell man and reminded him of the need to sign in when entering the store.
Police will allege in court that the man continually refused to check in, repeatedly abused staff and used offensive language.
He was arrested at 1.05pm and later given bail to appear at the ACT Magistrates Court at a later date.
He has been charged with using offensive language in a public place and failing to comply with a direction of the Chief Health Officer.
In a separate incident, 13 students were each issued with $1000 fines after an investigation into their presence in the ACT.
Police said the students, all of whom usually live in the Greater Sydney area, had applied for exemptions to enter the ACT several days ago.
Their applications were declined, but the students came to the ACT in breach of ACT health directions.
The students will remain in isolation at their university residences for the remainder of the required 14-day period.
