Man charged with breaching stay-home notice to deliver newspapers
Palanivelu Ramasamy was said to have used public transport to travel to and from Goldhill Plaza in Newton, where he went around delivering newspapers.
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SINGAPORE — In the first prosecution of its kind, a man was charged on Tuesday (April 7) with breaching the conditions of his stay-home notice to deliver newspapers in Newton during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Palanivelu Ramasamy, a 48-year-old Singaporean, was given a stay-home notice by an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officer on March 21. From that day, all Singapore residents returning from abroad have had to isolate themselves for 14 days to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
With the stay-home notice, he was to remain at home for 14 days, which meant that he was not allowed to leave even to buy food and essentials.
The Government advises those on stay-home notice to use home delivery services or ask others to help them buy their daily necessities.
But Palanivelu allegedly left his flat at Block 105 Towner Road in Boon Keng on March 30 at about 3.45pm.
While he was out, he was said to have used public transport to travel to and from Goldhill Plaza in Newton, where he went around delivering newspapers.
This would be a breach of Regulation 4(1) of the Infectious Diseases (Covid-19—Stay Orders) Regulations 2020, which have been in place since March 26.
If convicted, he could be jailed up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
A government task force tackling the Covid-19 crisis had announced on March 18 that all Singaporeans, permanent residents, long-term pass holders and short-term visitors returning from overseas will be given stay-home notices from 11.59pm on March 20.
The authorities will check on those with the notices via phone text messages, the GPS (Global Positioning System) location on their mobile phones, or random phone calls or house visits. If they receive calls, they must also take photos of their surroundings to verify their whereabouts.
Palanivelu is set to return to court on April 16 for his plea to be taken. He remains out on a S$5,000 bail.
