SINGAPORE – A 54-year-old man who was charged for escaping from the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) while receiving treatment for tuberculosis has been sentenced to six months’ jail.
Mohamed Zaini Parman also gave false particulars to policemen to evade going back into isolation, according to The Straits Times.
Channel NewsAsia reported that this is the second conviction under the Act. The first incident in 2003 was when a man disobeyed a home quarantine order during the SARS epidemic. He too, was jailed for six months.
Zaini pleaded guilty to two charges of leaving a place of isolation while under treatment under the Infectious Diseases Act, and giving false information to the police.
He was first diagnosed with TB on Jan 3, 2014 at Changi General Hospital (CGH), but failed to turn up on Jan 13 for his appointment at the Tuberculosis Control Unit for treatment, remaining uncontactable thereafter.
He also failed to report for a medical examination and treatment after a notice was issued on March 18. He was served an isolation order on May 8 which required him to be detained and isolated at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Communicable Disease Centre (CDC), but he fled the premises thrice.
Medical reports showed that Zaini was still infectious when he fled the CDC on May 23, 2014 and again on Jan 25 last year. And he had a high bacterial load before he absconded on June 19 last year.
Zaini could have been jailed for up to six months and/or fined up to $10,000 for absconding from the CDC. For lying to the police, he could have been jailed for up to a year and/or fined up to $5,000.
candicec@sph.com.sg
