Woman jailed for breaking quarantine

A 61-year-old woman has been sentenced to immediate imprisonment for 10 days by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today for violating a compulsory quarantine order.

She was issued the order when she entered Hong Kong, but failed to stay under quarantine for the full 14 days and left the premises on June 26 last year without reasonable excuse nor permission, the Department of Health said.

A spokesman of the department said the sentence sends a clear message to the community that breaching a compulsory quarantine order is a criminal offence that the Government will not tolerate.

As of today, a total of 115 persons have been convicted by the courts for breaching compulsory quarantine orders and have received sentences including immediate imprisonment for up to 14 weeks or a fine of up to HK$15,000.