Someone in Ontario said they had COVID-19 to try and get out of a ticket

Of all the excuses that can be made to avoid receiving a traffic ticket, claiming to have COVID-19 probably isn't the most foolproof — and the 22-year-old who tried it on an Ontario Provincial Police officer this week would likely agree. 

On Tuesday afternoon, the OPP East Region Twitter account posted about a G1 driver that had been stopped on Highway 401 near Napanee for having "bad plates" and an "unsafe truck."

Police said that when they approached the driver, the individual claimed to be infected with COVID-19 to try and avoid being ticketed. 

"Claiming to have Covid in attempt to avoid traffic ticket. #BadIdeas!" wrote police on Twitter. "Driver recanted when OPP called in paramedics."

Claiming to have Covid in attempt to avoid traffic ticket. #BadIdeas! G1 driver stopped on #Hwy401 @ #Napanee today. Bad plates,unsafe truck. Driver recanted when OPP called in paramedics. HTA charges and Quarantine Act-Obstructing officers. Tied-up resources. #cantmakethisup ^bd pic.twitter.com/ALayh5zSXR

— OPP East Region (@OPP_ER) November 17, 2020

The individual was originally set to face a number of charges under the Highway Traffic Act and the Quarantine Act, but police later wrote that the Quarantine Act charge had been reduced to a warning. 

Still, they said "the accused faces multiple HTA charges" for obstructing officers and tying up resources, adding that the driver could potentially owe thousands of dollars in fines for the HTA charges alone.

So if there's one lesson to take away from this irresponsible driver's encounter with police, it's that lying about having an illness probably won't prevent you from having to face the consequences of your actions.