Coronavirus: Singapore jails man who breached stay-home notice to have pork rib soup

Alan Tham, who was sentenced to six weeks in jail, became the first individual to be dealt with for a Covid-related offence

A judge said the man’s disregard of his 14-day stay-home notice was ‘socially reprehensible’

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Alan Tham was jailed for breaching his stay-home notice. Photo: Today Online

Published: 11:47am, 23 Apr 2020Updated: 11:47am, 23 Apr 2020

A 34-year-old man who breached his 14-day stay-home notice to have bak kut teh (pork rib soup) in public after returning from abroad last month was sentenced to six weeks in jail by a Singapore court on Thursday.

Alan Tham Xiang Sheng became the first individual to be dealt with for an offence related to Covid-19.

Five others have been similarly charged and their cases are still pending before the courts.

Stay-home notices are issued to those returning from abroad to prevent the spread of imported Covid-19 cases.

In passing sentence, Senior Judge Ong Hian Sun said that a deterrent sentence was needed to “send a clear and unequivocal message to the accused and like-minded persons that it is incumbent on them to adhere strictly to stay-home notice requirements, so as to not to expose public to the danger of contracting the dreaded Covid-19”.

Tham’s disregard of his stay-home notice was “socially reprehensible”, and he had not remained at home despite acknowledging the notice and confirming he could be prosecuted for non-compliance, the judge added.