Woman on SHN Who Later Turned Out to be COVID-19 Positive Had Left Home to Buy Bubble Tea

By
Rae Woo
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How much does bubble tea mean to you?

For Singaporeans, the bubble tea craze that’s been steadily growing over the past few years has now turned into a lifestyle, or even a staple for some. I mean, who can resist?

When the news first broke out about bubble tea shops being unable to operate as a non-essential service earlier this year during the Circuit Breaker period brought about by COVID-19, most Singaporeans went gaga at the thought of not filling their system up with their most beloved beverage.

Queues formed longer than the Great Wall of China at bubble tea shops the night before it was due to close, having little regard for social distancing.

It’s evident that some people would die or risk death simply for a cup of bubble tea – literally, just like this woman.

Bubble Tea Is Life

Nurul Afiqah Mohammed, 22, must have been unable to suppress her cravings for bubble tea, for it even made her risk it all while on Stay Home Notice (SHN) to leave home for it.

During her two-week SHN period from 21 March to 4 April, she had allegedly left her house at Woodlands Drive on several occasions, including to buy bubble tea at Causeway Point on 23 March.

Wonder which bubble tea was so good it made her lose her restraint.

Nurul was also accused by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) of travelling to the other side of Singapore to help her friends with wedding preparations on 2 and 3 April at Punggol Field.

It was already bad enough that she had not stuck to the regulations and exposed her friends, their families, and the public to the virus, but the worst part?

Nurul actually tested positive for the COVID-19 virus on 12 April after being admitted to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

It’s unclear if any clusters resulted from her breach of the SHN, however.

On 11 Dec, Nurul was charged in court for breaching her SHN, and faces seven charges under Section 21A of the Infectious Diseases Act. She intends to plead guilty, and is expected to return to court on 22 Jan next year.

Another Singaporean Was Charged For The Breach, Too

Unfortunately, Nurul was but one of the Singaporeans charged in court on the same day, for another man had also been charged for the same offence.

40-year-old Noor Salam Mohd Yusof had also visited multiple locations during his SHN period between 26 March and 10 April, according to the ICA.

He took public transport on 31 March to visit his mother at her Choa Chu Kang home as well as to the Choa Chu Kang Neighbourhood Police Centre.

Following that, he left his mother’s home on 2 April and went to Choa Chu Kang’s Housing Board branch as well as Limbang Kopitiam, while allegedly being in the area of Limbang Shopping Centre too.

He was charged under the Infectious Diseases (Covid-19 – Stay Orders) Regulations 2020.

Complying with the stay-home regulations would ensure public safety and health, said the ICA, who reminded the public to once again be mindful of it.

They added that Nurul’s case, where she had mingled with members of the public as well as her friends before later testing positive for the virus, “shows the very real risk breaching stay-home notice requirements can pose to all of us.”

Breaching the SHN or attempting to remove and tampering with the electronic monitoring devices will result in prosecution, and people who do so could face up to $10,000 as a fine, jailed for six months, or both.

Moral of the story? It’s not worth it to endanger everyone’s health just for a cup of bubble tea, no matter how heavenly it may taste.

Featured Image: Theerawan / Shutterstock.com

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Rae Woo
Email: [email protected]