Joanne Rust, a female tourist from Great Britain, was taken into custody after she failed to comply with the imposed self-isolation rules due to the coronavirus pandemic in Tenerife, Spain.
A video has surfaced, showing as Rust, 53, from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, taking a swim at the outdoor pool at the Paradise Park Hotel, where she was staying.
The British tourist got tired of being under quarantine for a week and decided to defy Spain’s Covid-19 lockdown and demanded better accommodation at the hotel from the staff.
However, in addition to Rust requesting a room upgrade, the woman jumped in the nearby pool for a quick dip.
The rebellious act was caught on video, which quickly went viral on social media, and in the footage, the British can be seen swimming, while some of the other hotel guests can be heard commenting in the background.
One of the spectators states that Rust, a Unison Campaign Organiser, who was the Labour’s candidate for Norfolk North-West in December, will be arrested for her act and concludes with the words: “She don’t want to get arrested out here, I’ll tell ya, they don’t treat you very lightly.”
At one point, another woman addresses the swimmer and says that everyone would like an upgrade, while the pool is being approached by two policemen and one hotel employee.
Then, one of the police officers takes his clothes off and jumps in the water, while the observers are applauding the scene. As a result, the rebel tourist was detained and forcefully taken out of the pool.
According to James O’Neil, another tourist who was also quarantined at the same hotel, staying in the room during the day was frustrating, but the guests were able to go to the restaurant at meal times as usual.
O’Neil told local media: “We’re confined to rooms during the day, which is frustrating, but we are able to go to the restaurant at meal times as usual. The staff here are being really friendly. There’s not much they can do about the situation.”
In an interview, Rust refused to apologize for her actions and had this explanation for her actions: “I find the whole thing really quite upsetting, and so I don’t want to engage in a discussion about it. What I know is I went on holiday to a place for which a tour operator gave me no information, and as a result of that, I had a lost holiday.”
She also stated that she is blaming her British tour operators for her “failed holiday in the Canary Islands.”
