Man with COVID-19 symptoms left home against doctor's orders to have tattoo done, gets day reporting order

SINGAPORE: A young man who absconded from his COVID-19 swab test despite showing related symptoms and went to get a tattoo while ordered to stay home on medical leave was given a day reporting order on Tuesday (Feb 22).

Tan Fu Yu, 21, was ordered to undergo a day reporting order for three months, and to complete 50 hours of community service within a year.

A day reporting order is a type of community-based sentence which is given to certain types of offenders, such as younger offenders.

Under such an order, an offender must report to a day reporting centre for monitoring, counselling and rehabilitation programmes.

Tan had pleaded guilty in November to one count of leaving his home without reasonable excuse despite being issued a medical certificate requiring him to stay home, with a second similar charge taken into consideration for sentencing.

He went to Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic on Dec 8, 2020 for a dry cough and itchy throat. He was diagnosed with an acute upper respiratory tract infection, and instructed to undergo a swab test for COVID-19.

He was also given a medical certificate saying he had an acute upper respiratory tract infection and excusing him from work or school for three days.

The certificate stated that Tan was required by law to stay at home until his COVID-19 swab test came back negative.

The doctor told Tan that he could not leave his home throughout the period of his medical certificate, or until he received a negative swab test result.

However, instead of going for his COVID-19 swab test and collecting his medication, Tan left the polyclinic and took a bus home, ignoring the nurse’s multiple calls.

The next day, Tan took a Grab car to Sin Ming Road where he had a tattoo appointment. The tattoo artist inked his chest and observed Tan to be bleeding excessively, said the prosecutor.

Tan left the studio after the procedure and took a bus home. He did not undergo any COVID-19 test that month, and took a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test only on Sep 19 last year, testing negative for COVID-19.

His lawyer, Senior Counsel Murali Pillai of Rajah & Tann, urged the court for a community-based sentence.

He said Tan is a youthful offender, and this is his first brush with the law. He said the reference to Tan absconding from the swab test was “irrelevant” as the charge he pleaded guilty to was for leaving home during his period of medical leave.

Tan is a bar management trainee with an award-winning bar, said Mr Murali, and he “accepts full responsibility for his foolish and immature behaviour”.

Tan has a “decent conduct record”, said the lawyer, citing an assessment by Tan’s employer that described Tan as a hardworking employee who has a strong passion for a career in the F & B industry. According to Tan’s employer, he has also “excelled in his training programmes and displays a good working attitude”.

Mr Murali also highlighted that Tan received an Edusave Good Progress Award in 2018 for improvement in academic performance and demonstrating good conduct.