Coronavirus: Police wait on riverbank to catch swimmer who broke lockdown

Man allegedly attempted to swim to outdoor gym after being stopped by officers

A man's quick dip in the river soon ended after half a dozen police - and media - showed up and waited on the shore until he swam back.

Video footage shows a group of officers standing on the bank of the Dnieper River, in Kiev, as a man swims in the water - in violation of the country's lockdown.

The man eventually gets out of the water and is filmed being escorted along the beach before he is seen sitting in the back of a police vehicle.

He had been attempting to reach an open-air gym at the city’s Hydropark – an entertainment complex spread across two islands – after he was prevented from doing so by police, according to Hromadske TV.

The incident came the same day Ukraine tightened its lockdown measures, which ban people from visiting parks, recreation and coastal areas, and sports grounds, except to walk a pet alone.

Under the new rules, which will be in place until at least 24 April, it is also mandatory for people to wear a face mask or respirator in public and to carry identity documents showing their citizenship or special status.

The man detained by police was reportedly a student.

He appeared in court on Tuesday where his case was adjourned until 15 April, Hromadske TV reports.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the eastern European country rose by 143 to 1,462 on Tuesday morning, according to RBC-Ukraine.

So far, 45 people have died from Covid-19 in the country, while 28 patients have recovered.