So far, at least five people under mandatory quarantine due to the local COVID-19 outbreak have been intercepted by authorities while attempting to flee Hong Kong in recent days, with officials announcing they are pressing charges against at least two of the accused quarantine-breakers.
The Department of Health said in a statement last night that four had been sent to a quarantine center, and that an investigation by the police is ongoing.
The department added that it is bringing prosecutions — the first of their kind — against two of the people, who were intercepted separately at border checkpoints at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and the Shenzhen Bay bridge on their way out of Hong Kong.
The pair are accused of violating mandatory 14-day quarantine measures that went into effect just over a week ago. Breaching the quarantine order is a criminal offense, and comes with a maximum fine of HK$25,000 and up to six months’ imprisonment.
The two men, aged 41 and 37, were served summonses on Monday.
As for the other two people accused of attempting to skip town, the Health Department and police are continuing to gather evidence for potential prosecution.
Meanwhile, an elderly man suffering from mild dementia caused a stir this morning after he left mandatory quarantine and boarded a bus from Lam Tin to Sheung Shui, en route to the Shenzhen Bay crossing, Headline Daily reports.
The SCMP reports that the man was trying to get to Shenzhen, where he usually stays, but was identified as being under quarantine by another passenger who overheard him speaking to his son on the phone. Police and Health Department officials in protective gear came to take the man home, with the sight of men in hazmat suits reportedly freaking out onlookers.
The man is not confirmed to have the coronavirus, but the bus he was on was nonetheless returned to the depot for a thorough disinfection.
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