Employees of cross-border bus companies wearing face masks as a preventative measure against the novel coronavirus stand at the bus stop of Shenzhen Bay Port Hong Kong Port Area on Feb 8, 2020. (PHILIP FONG / AFP)
HONG KONG – A man was sentenced to jail for 14 days by the Shatin Magistrates' Courts on Saturday for violating a quarantine order in Hong Kong.
The 57-year-old man, who has been vaccinated against COVID-19, was issued a compulsory quarantine order when he entered Hong Kong on July 3. The order required that he undergo quarantine at home for seven days.
READ MORE: Hong Kong to cut quarantine time for vaccinated travelers
The man was charged with contravening Sections 8(4) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was sentenced by the Shatin Magistrates' Courts on Saturday to immediate imprisonment for 14 days
The man tried to leave Hong Kong via the Shenzhen Bay Control Point the next day without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorized officer. He was stopped by an immigration officer at the control point.
He was charged with contravening Sections 8(4) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was sentenced by the Shatin Magistrates' Courts on Saturday to immediate imprisonment for 14 days.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said the sentence sends a clear message to the community that breaching a compulsory quarantine order is a criminal offense that the government will not tolerate. Offenders are subject to a maximum fine of HK$25,000 and imprisonment for six months.
ALSO READ: HK sees 1 imported virus case, bans Asiana flights from Seoul
As of Saturday, total of 153 people have been convicted by the courts for breaching compulsory quarantine orders and have received sentences that included immediate imprisonment for up to 14 weeks or a fine of up to HK$15,000, the government said.