Two men charged with exposing others to COVID-19 infection risk by going to Jem, Giant while on medical leave
Jem shopping mall and Giant at Block 181 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh. (Photos: Marcus Mark Ramos and Google Street View)
SINGAPORE: Two men were charged in separate cases on Monday (Jul 5) with exposing others to the risk of COVID-19 infection by heading to places like Giant supermarket and Jem shopping mall while they were on medical leave.
Zac Leow Zhi Xiang, 34, was given one count of exposing others to the risk of infection when he had reason to suspect that he had COVID-19 in March last year.
He is accused of heading to several places between Mar 27 and Mar 31 last year, after being diagnosed with acute respiratory symptoms and ordered to stay home for five days.
According to the charge sheet, Leow failed to return to his home immediately after leaving the clinic in Circuit Road.
He is accused of visiting a friend in Bedok, then heading to ABC Market in Jalan Bukit Merah and to Jem shopping mall in Jurong before going to his mother's home in Jurong West.
On Mar 28, 2020, he allegedly left home and went to Boon Lay Place Food Village before going to his mother's place again. The next day, he allegedly went to Yuhua Market and Hawker Centre before heading to Boon Lay Place Food Village and his mother's home.
Leow was also accused of going to work at JT International Singapore in Alexandra Technopark on Mar 30, 2020 while he was still on medical leave. He allegedly repeated this again the next day.
The second man, 24-year-old Putra Aly Qanafiyah Ibni Rossly, was given four charges under the Infectious Diseases Act and Infectious Diseases (COVID-19 – Stay Orders) Regulations 2020.
According to court documents, Putra was told by a doctor on Feb 2, 2021 that he had acute respiratory infection. He was asked to take a swab test for COVID-19 and issued a medical certificate requiring him to stay at home for four days until Feb 5, 2021.
Even though he had reason to suspect he was a case or carrier of COVID-19, Putra allegedly exposed others to the risk of infection by walking from the Toa Payoh clinic he had visited a Giant supermarket at Block 181, Lorong 4 Toa Payoh.
Putra is accused of going to work the next three days even though he was required to stay home while on medical leave.
Leow and Putra are set to plead guilty in August. For each charge, they could be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
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