More than 50 Australians have been fined over the past few days after new rules were introduced amid the coronavirus pandemic.

One of those people who was issued a $1,000 on-the-spot fine was a 21-year-old who was eating a kebab in public.

New South Wales Police confirmed the bloke was penalised for being outside his home without a valid reason.

A statement from the force read: “[The] man ignored two warnings to be fined $1,000 for failing to comply with Ministerial directions under the Public Health Act.

“Officers attached to Newcastle City Police District found the man for the third time that day (Wednesday 1 April 2020), on Market St eating a kebab on a bench.”

That age old saying of three times the charm is in full force here.

Police have been cracking down on people being outside their home without a valid reason in order to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Officers attended the scene of a car accident and were floored by the circumstances surrounding the situation.

“The car’s only occupant – a 51-year-old man – was not injured, but allegedly told police he had left his home in order to visit his drug dealer,” a NSW Police statement read. “The man was arrested and taken to hospital for blood and urine testing. Checks revealed he was disqualified from driving.”

Two people were slapped with $1,000 fines after being caught sitting inside a parked car together.

Authorities said the 32-year-old woman or the 27-year-old man didn’t have a reasonable excuse to be outside and therefore had to be penalised.

NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller said these rules were in place for a reason.

“The important thing is that people comply with the two-person rule when doing exercise, or that they only exercise with their household,” he said.

“As I keep saying, a good rule of thumb is that if you are questioning whether you should be doing something, it is best to give it a miss.”

So take this as a warning that if you want to chance it at the moment, you can expect a pretty big fine.