A British student was fined $8,600 for breaking COVID-19 quarantine after posting an Instagram photo of herself at a restaurant

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A British student was fined $8,600 for breaking COVID-19 quarantine after posting an Instagram photo of herself at a restaurant
People walk across the sand towards the Elizabeth Castle on the island of Jersey in November 2017.Getty Images
  • A British student was fined £6,600 ($8,600) after authorities said she broke quarantine rules four times after flying from Manchester, England, to the island of Jersey.
  • Carys Ann Ingram was supposed to quarantine for about two weeks because she had flown from Manchester, considered a high-risk city, and sat near someone who later tested positive, MailOnline and The Independent reported.
  • But authorities said Ingram ate at a restaurant, went out shopping, visited friends, and wasn't home when an enforcement team went to where she was meant to be quarantining.
  • She also shared pictures of her restaurant visit on Instagram, MailOnline and The Independent reported.
  • Jersey's government said she pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching self-isolation.
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A British student was fined £6,600 ($8,600) after authorities said they found her breaking quarantine rules after a flight, including visiting a restaurant, and sharing pictures of her meal out on Instagram.

Carys Ann Ingram, 22, flew from the English city of Manchester to the island of Jersey, which is a British Crown dependency, on October 12, MailOnline reported.

She was supposed to quarantine until she received two negative coronavirus tests because Manchester is considered a high-risk city for coronavirus infections.

The second test was supposed to be taken five days after she arrived, MailOnline and The Independent reported.

Ingram was then contacted by contact tracers — people employed to contact people who have been close to those infected with COVID-19 — because someone sitting near her on the flight later tested positive, both outlets reported.

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This meant Ingram was supposed to quarantine and take another test after another eight days, according to MailOnline.

Jersey's government said that she was found breaking quarantine rules four times: By going out shopping, having a meal at a restaurant, visiting friends, and being out of the house when an enforcement team went to the address where she was staying.

Ingram also posted pictures of her meal at the restaurant — El Tico restaurant in St Ouen's Bay — on Instagram — MailOnline and The Independent reported.

The government said she pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching self-isolation, and was fined £600 ($780) for her first breach and a total of £6,000 ($7,800) for the other three times.

The alternative was 24 weeks in prison, the government said.

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Caroline Maffia, the strategic lead for Jersey's Contact Tracing, Monitoring and Enforcement team, said in a statement: "It is regrettable that someone should endanger the health of other Islanders after being informed of the need to self-isolate.

"This fine demonstrates that we will pursue prosecution for those found flouting the law. Anyone identified as a direct contact of a COVID positive person must understand the importance of following public health advice and abiding by the law."

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