Student, 24, found guilty of exposing others to COVID risk
SINGAPORE — A student who returned from London in March last year had flu-like symptoms and lost her sense of taste and smell.
However, Esther Tan Ling Ying went to a food court and then to a clinic while on a Stay-Home Notice (SHN). She later tested positive for the coronavirus.
The 24-year-old was found guilty on Monday (16 August) on one count of exposing other persons to the risk of infection by her presence in two public places, Orchis Food Court in Changi Airport Terminal 1, and Clementi Family and Aesthetic Clinic, where she lied about her travel history.
Return from London
Tan had been studying at a university in London since August 2017 and decided to come home before her course was completed due to a government advisory to all Singaporean students to return home.
Before leaving London, she felt unwell but did not see a doctor. Instead, she chose to self-isolate to minimise contact with others until she returned home.
She arrived in Singapore before 2.38pm on 23 March last year with a blocked nose. Her sense of taste and smell had not returned.
After alighting, Tan was directed to a holding area and given an SHN from 23 March to 6 April, which she acknowledged. She was also given instructions on the SHN by an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officer and told to go straight home.
However, Tan and her parents went to a T1 food court to eat for about 30 minutes. The family then took the MRT to Clementi MRT station before Tan and her mother went to the Clementi clinic.
At the clinic, Tan did not reveal her full travel history to the doctor. She later called the People’s Association on 29 March 2020 to say that she had a mild itchiness in her throat, and that she could be a potential carrier of COVID-19. She added that she did not want to put her family members and the community at risk.
She went to a doctor referred to her by the PA and was conveyed by ambulance to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases where she tested positive for COVID-19.
Tan’s sentencing will be on 30 August.
For her offence under the Infectious Diseases Act, she may be jailed up to six months, and/or fined up to $10,000 on a first offence.
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