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63 y.o Grab driver, Rahim Mahon, was sentenced to five weeks of jail today (11 Jan) after pleading guilty to a charge of violating the Infectious Diseases Act of exposing others to the risk of infection.
Another charge was taken into consideration against him in sentencing.
His doings
Rahim went to the doctor for acute respiratory symptoms and was given a MC and told to stay home. He was also instructed to take a swab test.
Despite this, he refused the swab and continued to ferry passengers in five trips the following day, endangering the health of the passengers that he ferried.
The doctor had also mentioned to him that if he did not want to go for a swab test, he would be given a five day MC and would have to stay home throughout the duration of the MC.
Failing to do so will meant that he will have broken the law and would be prosecuted.
It was unknown if he tested positive as he did not go for the swab.
Prosecution findings
The prosecutor asked for five to six weeks of jail for Rahim, as there was a high risk of the virus spreading through his actions.
She added that even though Rahim obviously had symptoms of the virus, he did not want to be socially responsible and take the test.
Even though it was unclear at that time if Rahim had the virus, his actions of ferrying passengers on the five trips increased the risk of the virus spreading.
In mitigation, Rahim asked for a lighter sentence.
Penalties
The penalties for exposing others to the risk of infection are a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to $10,000 or both.
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