Man fined for breaching compulsory quarantine order
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The man was earlier issued a compulsory quarantine order stating that he must conduct quarantine at home for 14 days. Before the expiry of the quarantine order, he left the place of quarantine without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorised officer on March 25. He was charged with contravening sections 8(1) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was fined $15,000 by the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today.
Pursuant to the Regulation, starting from March 19, save for exempted persons, all persons arriving from countries or territories outside China would be subject to compulsory quarantine for 14 days. Moreover, pursuant to the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C), all persons who have stayed in the Mainland, Macao or Taiwan in the 14 days preceding arrival in Hong Kong, regardless of their nationality or travel documents, will be subject to compulsory quarantine for 14 days. Breaching a quarantine order is a criminal offence and offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months. The Department of Health (DH) solemnly reminds persons under quarantine to comply with the statutory requirements and conduct quarantine for 14 days.
A spokesman for the DH said the sentence sends a clear message to the community that breaching the Regulation is a criminal offence and that the Government will not tolerate such actions. As of today, a total of 36 persons have been convicted by the courts for breaching compulsory quarantine orders with imprisonment sentences of up to three months or a fine of $15,000. The spokesman reiterated that resolute actions will be taken against anyone who has breached the Regulation.
Ends/Monday, August 10, 2020
Issued at HKT 18:22
Issued at HKT 18:22
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