Belgian prince got coronavirus after breaking quarantine to party in Spain

A Belgian prince has been fined more than $10,000 by the Spanish government for breaking quarantine rules — after he traveled to the country, went out partying and eventually tested positive for the coronavirus, a Spanish official said on Wednesday.

Prince Joachim, the 28-year-old nephew of Belgium’s King Philippe, tripped to Spain on May 24 for an internship — but he failed to abide by the country’s rule mandating that incoming travelers quarantine themselves for 14 days, the official in Andalusia said.

Instead of staying inside, the prince went out to a party in the southern city of Cardoba two days after his arrival — and later tested positive for the virus.

There were 27 people in attendance at the shindig, which was held in violation of Spain’s lockdown measures, the Brussels Times reported.

Joachim, who is tenth in line to the Belgian throne, admitted to breaching quarantine and was slapped with a $11,800 fine, the officials said.

The royal was hit with the maximum fine for a “serious violation of civil protection [laws],” which if paid within 15 days will be reduced by 50 percent.

“Now that we are, for the first time, cornering the pandemic, we cannot lock up in a house with 40 or 50 people in a party,” said Andalusian president Juanma Moreno, according to the outlet. “Because if one person is infected, they can infect the rest.”

The prince issued a public statement last week apologizing after the news broke of his lockdown shenanigans, and is now in Spain following quarantine rules.

“I would like to apologize for not having respected all the quarantine measures during my trip,” Joachim said. “In these difficult moments, I did not mean to offend or disrespect anybody.”

Spain is among countries hardest hit by the virus, recording more than 242,000 COVID-19 cases and 27,000 related deaths.

via: https://nypost.com/2020/06/10/coronavirus-stricken-belgian-prince-fined-for-breaking-quarantine/

Photo Credit: nypost.com