Man sentenced for breaching compulsory quarantine order

     A 60-year-old man was sentenced to imprisonment for two weeks by the Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (June 29) for violating the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C).

     He 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 and took off his electronic wristband without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorised officer and was stopped by staff of the Immigration Department at Shenzhen Bay Control Point on March 26. He was charged with two counts of contravening sections 8(1), 8(4) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was sentenced by the Fanling Magistrates' Courts today to imprisonment for two weeks for each of the two charges, which are to run concurrently.

     Pursuant to the Regulation, save for exempted persons, 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. Moreover, pursuant to the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E), starting from March 19, all persons arriving from countries or territories outside China would also 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 22 persons have been convicted by the court with imprisonment sentences of up to three months or a fine of HK$10,000. The spokesman reiterated that resolute actions will be taken against anyone who has breached the Regulation.