Coronavirus Victoria: Police order law professor with disability to keep walking https://www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/australia/coronavirus-victoria-police-order-law-professor-and-elderly-mother-to-keep-walking/news-story/d367e6c4e05b48b45b673fdc5b9f0cec

“Last Tuesday she was on a walk with her 70-year-old mother, who has had a double hip replacement, when after about 1km the pair stopped for a rest and a coffee.”

“That’s when the police came up and said, ‘You have to move on, you’re not allowed to stop walking’,” Prof Barnett said

“I said, ‘You’re kidding, right?’ He said, ‘No, you need to keep walking and head back to your house’.”

“I read the directives, there’s absolutely nothing said about stopping while walking,” she said.

“My difficulty is it leaves quite a lot of discretion in the hands of those officers, and also depends on the reasonableness of the particular officer”

“Prof Barnett, 45, has cerebral palsy and requires injections into her feet to stop her muscles cramping”

“Prof Barnett says she doesn’t object to the coronavirus restrictions or Andrews’ government per se, but the way they are being enforced.” I agree. I broadly agree with the restrictions. But the fact that discretion rests with cops over fines and the impact on PWD is troubling

When she first raised concerns last week, Prof Barnett says some people asked whether she was a “sovereign citizen”.

“I had to say, ‘No, I’m a law professor,’” she said.

At some point during lockdown I accepted there was a chance I would be fined because sometimes I have to sit down. I don’t have a car and walking more than 1km leaves me exhausted. But I have to exercise for my health’s sake