Indian-origin man charged with breaching 'stay at home' notice in Singapore

By Gurdip Singh

Singapore, Apr 7 () An Indian-origin man was charged with breaching 'stay at home' notice in Singapore on Tuesday.

According to the chargesheet, Palanivelu Ramasamy, 48, was given a 'stay-home' notice on March 21 by an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officer, Channel News Asia reported.

However, Ramasamy, a newspaper delivery man, allegedly left his apartment in Block 105 Towner Road on March 30 without reasonable excuse. He is accused of using public transport to travel and deliver newspapers.

Ramasamy is set to plead guilty later this month under the recently enacted regulations for breaching stay-home notice, in the first charging of its kind.

For breaching a stay-home order under the Infectious Diseases (COVID-19 - stay orders) Regulations 2020, Ramasamy could be jailed for up to six months, fined a maximum of SGD10,000 or both.

Similarly, a Chinese-origin man was charged on Tuesday for breaking his stay-home order after the man posted photos of having bak kut, a Chinese pork dish, at a hawker centre.

Alan Tham Xiang Sheng, 34, is accused of exposing others to the risk of infection when he had reason to suspect that he was a case, carrier or contact of a disease. He was charged under the Infectious Diseases Act.

He returned to Singapore from Myanmar on March 23 this year and was issued a 14-day stay-home notice, requiring him to stay home until Apr 6.

The notice requires a person to stay in their residence at all times throughout the two-week period.

According to the chargesheet, Tham knew he was a suspected contact of a person with COVID-19 and was subjected to the stay-home notice.

However, he allegedly exposed others to the risk of infection by appearing in public places including the Koufu Food Centre at Changi Airport Terminal 3. Once a 'stay-home' notice is issued, authorities check the suspected virus cases using text messages, GPS location via their mobile phones, random phone calls and house visits.

Those who receive a phone call will have to take photos of their surroundings to verify their whereabouts, according to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

They will also need to monitor their health closely, with temperature checks twice daily and for respiratory symptoms like cough and breathlessness.

Tham, who turned up in court wearing a mask a day after completing his stay-home notice, was unrepresented.

When District Judge Adam Nakhoda asked what he intended to do, Tham said: "I plead guilty to this, because I already explained everything but it's like ... they don't take what I'm trying to say."

The judge set a date for him to plead guilty later this month and adjourned the case.

Meanwhile, seven food and beverage (F&B) outlets and one retail store have been issued advisory letters for not implementing adequate safe distancing measures, Enterprise Singapore (ESG) said on Tuesday (Apr 7).

The outlets are ChiCha San Chen at Jem and Tampines 1, Kaffe and Toast at Clementi Mall, Koi at VivoCity and Jurong Point, Nakhon Kitchen at VivoCity, Ya Kun at JEM and Courts at Tampines Mall, reported the Channel.

Despite multiple reminders to rectify and adhere to the measures, the outlets did not comply, ESG said in a press release.

In March, the government introduced safe distancing measures in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the island nation. This includes incorporating mobile payments and ensuring there is enough space between customers lining up in queues.

The ESG's surveillance teams conduct regular checks and work with businesses who may need guidance on implementation.

About 10,000 F&B and retail outlets in shopping malls have been checked so far, ESG said.

"Majority have implemented safe distancing measures and some are in the process of rectifying their measures," it added.

The ESG also reminded businesses to comply with the new measures, which include the closure of non-essential services and a ban on dining at F&B establishments during the month-long circuit breaker period starting Tuesday.

The agency is looking to deploy twice as many Safe Distancing Ambassadors during this time, it added.

The Ministry of Health has put the regulations into effect from March 26 to give legal force to safe distancing measures and provide enhanced enforcement for breaches of stay-home notices.

The coronavirus has claimed six lives and infected over 1,300 people in Singapore. GS INDIND