Chile has strict rules on the use of masks in all public places and infractions are sanctioned with sanctions that include fines and even prison sentences.
The president explained that he had been walking alone on the beach near his home in the chic Chilean coastal city of Cachagua when a woman recognized him and asked him for a photo together.
The selfie shows the president and the woman being very close to each other on a sunny day, without wearing any masks.
Pinera, prone to glasses, was previously photographed on a pizza at night during the inequality protest in Santiago last year. He was later seen posing to be photographed in the square that had been the center of the protests after the pandemic forced protesters to stay home.
The virus peaked in Chile in May and June, during the winter in the southern hemisphere, and then declined until November. However, cases are rising again, leading to new restrictions and quarantines.