2 Foreign Workers Charged for Breaching Quarantine Orders; 1 Was Allegedly Told By His Boss to Leave His Premises

Here’s what the current climate in Singapore is like:

No excuses, you’ll be punished if you breach our rules.

And you know what, that’s fine with most people in Singapore because as Day 11 of circuit breaker has shown, whatever the authorities are doing seems to be working.

2 Foreign Workers Charged for Breaching Quarantine Orders; 1 Was Allegedly Told By His Boss to Leave His Premises

On 17 Apr 2020, it was reported that a 49-year-old Chinese national, Liu Dafeng, and a 35-year-old Indian national, Vardireddy Nageswara Reddy, will be charged in court for breaching quarantine orders.

Liu Dafeng

Liu is a contact of a Covid-19 patient and was supposed to be isolated from 12 Feb to 24 Feb 2020.

However, he left his premises twice during isolation:

• 7pm on 19 Feb 2020
• Between 10.30am and 12pm on 21 Feb 2020

He says he wishes to claim trial for his first “outing” because his company had asked him to shift to a different place as his current residence has “no space” for him.

He was just following instructions, he said.

However, the Ministry of Health (MOH) fired back and alleged that he failed to tell his employer he cannot be relocated during the quarantine period.

He also didn’t ask for permission before proceeding to relocate.

For his second “outing”, he had allegedly gone out to look for a bank.

Vardireddy Nageswara Reddy

For Vardireddy, he was supposed to be isolated from 16 Feb to 20 Feb 2020 but has his isolation period extended to 25 Feb 2020.

However, on 24 Feb between 8.10pm and 8.30pm, he allegedly went out to a nearby shopping mall to purchase some items.

He had not asked for permission from the director of medical services, MOH claims.

Vardiereddy plans to plead guilty to his charge.

Sentencing Will Only Happen After Verdict Is Given For SHN Breaches

If found guilty, they can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $10,000, or both for each charge.

However, the court says they’ll hold on the sentencing until the result for the SHN breaches are out.

The Bak Kut Teh lover, Alam Tham Xiang Sheng, has already pleaded guilty to his charge and is awaiting sentencing, which will take place on 23 Apr 2020.

Prosecutors are asking for him to be jailed for up to three months.

Two other people who breached the SHN are still awaiting trial.

The Current Climate in S’pore

Reader Bao: But you just said that at the start of the article.

Okay, fine.

The Current Climate in S’pore Again Because It’s Too Important Not To Repeat.

Here’s what the current climate in Singapore is like:

No exceptions, no excuses and definitely no second chances.

Absolute compliance is required to wipe out community spread of Covid-19 in Singapore, an infectious diseases specialist here said, and it seems like the government is now coming down hard on people who breach the rules.

Yes, even if you’re a safe distancing ambassador.

So if you get caught doing something that shouldn’t have been done, don’t bother trying to bluster your way out of it, or do something drastic like the man who headbutted an enforcement officer.

You’ll just get into deeper trouble.

For those who are confused on what should, and should not be done right now, you can check out MOH’s FAQ section.