12 weeks’ jail for cleaner who flouted quarantine order by going around Singapore over 8 days

• A 65-year-old Singaporean claimed that he repeatedly left home because he was bored
• He was ordered not to leave his place of isolation after his colleague had contracted Covid-19 
• But he spent hours on public transport over eight days, going to various bus interchanges and MRT stations 

SINGAPORE — After his colleague had contracted Covid-19, Soh Poh Tiong was ordered to return home, but he decided to travel around Singapore as he was bored. 

Even after Ministry of Health (MOH) officials served Soh a home quarantine order, he repeatedly breached it out of boredom again, taking public transportation for hours every day, and paying his bills at the Housing and Development Board (HDB) Hub in Toa Payoh.

For his actions, the 65-year-old Singaporean was jailed 12 weeks on Tuesday (Dec 8).

He pleaded guilty to three counts of leaving his place of isolation without permission under the Infectious Diseases Act. Another five similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

NOT HOME

Soh, who was employed by Clean Solutions Pte Ltd and worked at Northpoint City mall in Yishun, reported to work on May 10 but his supervisor asked him to head back home because his colleague from the same workplace tested positive for Covid-19. He was also told that he could not report for work until further notice. 

Officials from MOH then tried to visit Soh several times at his flat along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 to serve him a quarantine order, requiring him to remain isolated at his residence from May 10 to 22, but he was not home. They finally managed to reach him at home three days later on May 13. 

He was told not to leave even to get food, and that he should either use a mobile application or get friends or family to buy food for him.

He acknowledged this and signed on the quarantine order.

VISITED MANY LOCATIONS

Yet, he left home again the very next day, and continued to do so daily from May 14 to 21.

He claimed to be “very bored” at home and left to walk around the neighbourhood or travel to various locations across the island.

Based on travel records on his Ez-link transport card, he spent between two hours and three minutes and 10 hours and six minutes on buses.

For example, on May 16, he spent more than 10 hours — around 9am to 7pm — on several buses from Ang Mo Kio and back, including SBS bus services 45 and 24.

He also took trains, visiting the following locations:

• Ang Mo Kio bus interchange and MRT station
• Clementi bus interchange and MRT station
• Harbourfront MRT Station
• Tampines bus interchange
• Bishan bus interchange
• Jurong East bus interchange
• Changi Airport

He bought meals from a food centre and went to public offices, such as the HDB Hub where he interacted with staff members there to pay his bills.

‘I WAS WRONG ALREADY’

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kenneth Kee sought the sentence imposed, noting that Soh’s culpability was the highest among offenders who have breached their Covid-19 home quarantine orders.

He referenced the case of Alan Tham, who was jailed six weeks for breaching his stay-home notice to have bak kut teh (pork rib soup), which he posted about on social media.

The prosecutor asked for a similar six-week jail term for each of Soh’s charges as his violation was “far more egregious”.

When asked if he had anything to say in mitigation, he told the court in Mandarin: “Talk also no use, I was wrong already… I had no other choice.”

He also repeated what he said when he was charged — that he had not stayed home during the two to three years when he was unemployed.

District Judge Brenda Tan confirmed that he chose to plead guilty, before ordering two of his charges to run consecutively as required under the law.

For breaching the Infectious Diseases Act, he could have been jailed up to six months or fined up to S$10,000, or both.