Singapore convicts couple from China of Covid-19 contact tracing offences
- Chinese national Hu Jun tested positive for Covid-19 nine days after arriving in Singapore from Wuhan to spend Lunar New Year with his family
- He and his wife Shi Sha were found guilty of withholding information from the city state’s contact tracers and could now face imprisonment, a fine or both
He did not tell a health officer that he had travelled while infectious to hotels, a restaurant and the Chinese embassy, among other places, and was found guilty under the Infectious Diseases Act of deliberately withholding information from contact tracers.
His wife, 36-year-old Shi Sha, was convicted of withholding information, giving false information and failing to respond fully and truthfully to a health officer.
Hu said in his defence that he was either unaware health officials wanted such information, could not recall the names of the places he visited or did not have enough time to respond.
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He had travelled to Singapore a few times before but those were brief visits to tourist spots and he was unfamiliar with the country, he said.
On January 29 last year, Hu went to Singapore General Hospital with his wife, after feeling dizzy and warm. He was also starting to cough.
Hu testified that he felt “unusually cold” and used multiple blankets in the ward, but later told the prosecutor upon cross-examination that it was likely he only had the flu.
“Until today I’m not too sure if I’m a confirmed case [of Covid-19],” he said, claiming that no one told him so while he was in hospital.
Shi testified that she found it difficult to communicate with the contact tracer because of a language barrier, describing it as like a chicken talking to a duck.
She said she was worried about medical bills as she did not know that the Singapore government covered the cost of Covid-19 treatment at the time, and that people “around the world” have been reprimanding her and her husband after seeing the news.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh on Tuesday asked the court to reject any arguments by the defence about miscommunication or misunderstandings, pointing to a statement that he said “evinces collusion between the accused persons”.
He added that it was stated clearly that the accused discussed what to tell the Ministry of Health, in order to protect their privacy.
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“Contrast with the defence’s case – they have shown themselves to be inconsistent and dishonest,” said Koh said.
District Judge Ng Peng Hong found that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted Hu and Shi of all charges against them. He adjourned the case to November for mitigation and sentencing.
The couple now face penalties of up to six months’ imprisonment, a maximum S$10,000 (US$7,400) fine – or both – for each charge under the Infectious Diseases Act.
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