A 20-Year-Old Singaporean Nurse Sentenced to Prison for Buying Bubble Tea During Self-Quarantine Period

People wearing masks crossing the street in downtown Singapore on April 5, 2020
[AFP=Yonhap News][Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A nurse in Singapore was sentenced to imprisonment for going out at least seven times during her self-quarantine period in violation of the rules.

According to foreign media including Channel News Asia on the 23rd, a Singapore court sentenced Nurul (22), who worked as a nurse at Singapore General Hospital, to seven weeks in prison yesterday.

Nurul was charged with violating quarantine rules and going out during the 14-day self-quarantine period after returning from a vacation in Australia on March 21 last year. It was confirmed that she went out at least seven times, including buying bubble tea and helping prepare for a pregnant friend's wedding.

After her quarantine period ended in April last year, she visited a hospital with symptoms of COVID-19 such as sore throat and fever, and was later confirmed positive through a COVID-19 test.

Meanwhile, in Singapore, exposing others to the risk of infectious disease infection can result in imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of up to 10,000 Singapore dollars (approximately 8.3 million KRW). Multiple punishments are also possible.

As of the 22nd, Singapore recorded a cumulative total of 59,197 infections and 29 deaths. Since the 30th of last year, it became the first country in Asia to start COVID-19 vaccinations using the Pfizer vaccine from the United States and BioNTech from Germany.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.