22-year-old charged with breaching quarantine half an hour before it ended

SINGAPORE: A 22-year-old man was charged on Friday (Apr 24) with breaching his quarantine order half an hour before his isolation period ended.

Tay Chun Hsien, who turned up in court in a suit with a mask over his face, is accused of leaving his Choa Chu Kang home between 11.30am and 12pm on Mar 22.

He had been directed to be isolated at home between Mar 19 and noon on Mar 22, "for the protection of the public", charge sheets state.

However, he allegedly left his home to go to a neighbourhood shopping mall for breakfast on the morning of Mar 22, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Tay said he did not want to engage a lawyer and told the judge: "I want to plead guilty, Your Honour."

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The MOH prosecutor said he will take a week to prepare the case, before handing it over to the Attorney-General's Chambers.

Tay will return to court next Wednesday to plead guilty.

MOH said in its statement that Tay had acknowledged understanding the contents of his quarantine order when he was served with it, in particular - that he could not leave his home for the entire time that he was quarantined.

The ministry added that it will not hesitate to take enforcement action against those who fail to comply with the requirements of quarantine orders.

For breaching his quarantine order, Tay could be jailed up to six months, fined a maximum S$10,000, or both.

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