A 52-year-old woman was fined $5,000 by the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (October 18) for violating the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599A) (the Regulation).

     The woman was earlier issued a compulsory quarantine order stating that she must conduct quarantine at home for 14 days. Before the expiry of the quarantine order, she left the place of quarantine, took public transportation and went to work on April 23, 2022. She was charged with contravening sections 32(1) and 32(3) of the Regulation and was fined $5,000 by the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today. 

     Under the Regulation, a person shall not, knowing that he or she is a contact or is infected with a specified infectious disease, expose other persons to the risk of infection by the person's presence or conduct in any public conveyance or any street, public place, place of entertainment or assembly, club or hotel. Breaching the Regulation is a criminal offence and offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for six months. A spokesman for the Department of Health said the sentence sends a clear message to the community that it is a criminal offence to expose the public to the risk of infection by leaving the designated place of quarantine without permission during the period of quarantine. The Government will not tolerate such a violation and reminds the public again to comply with the relevant regulations.

     ​The spokesman reiterated that co-operation and support by members of the public play a critical role in anti-epidemic work. They must strictly observe relevant requirements in order to fight the pandemic and minimise the risk of transmission in the community.

Ends/Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Issued at HKT 18:30

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