Esther Tan Ling Ying, 24-years-old, was sentenced to 12 weeks jail earlier today for exposing others to the risk of Covid-19 infection.
She was charged with an offence under the Infectious Diseases Act on 16 August.
What happened?
Tan was in London doing her bachelor’s degree course in acting, when she followed the Singapore Government’s advisory to return last year.
She experienced flu-like symptoms while still in Britain and had lost her sense of smell as well as taste.
She didn’t see a doctor but chose to isolate herself until the day of her flight from London to Singapore.
When she landed at Changi Airport Terminal 1 on 23 March last year, she was still suffering from a blocked nose and couldn’t taste or smell.
She was then issued a SHN and an ICA officer instructed her to go home.
However, before going home, she ate at a foodcourt in Terminal 1 with her parents for about 30 minutes.
They also took the MRT to Clementi where she visited Clementi Family and Aesthetic Clinic with her mother, at Clementi Avenue 3.
Tan lied to the doctor about her travel history in order to get her hands on some medicine.
The doctor testified in court that Tan told her that she had b een in Singapore since January last year.
Tan later tested positive for the coronavirus on 30 March 2020.
Tan defended herself saying that the SHN instructions were confusing and that she didn’t think she had the virus.