60-year-old Ang Siew Wah, was sentenced to 9 weeks imprisonment on 7 September for breaching her Covid-19 quarantine order back in 2021.
She pleaded guilty to one count of exposing others to the risk of infection, and 4 other charges were considered during her sentencing.
She had left her home to collect her 4D winnings, go shopping and receive her vaccination.
What happened
Ang received a call on 23 July 2021 from a Certis Cisco call agent, informing her about her quarantine on behalf of MOH.
Ang confirmed that she had received a notification from MOH about her quarantine order from 22 to 29 July, because she was a close contact of a Covid patient.
She then asked the agent about her upcoming appointment for her Covid vaccination that was supposed to be on one of her quarantine days, and was told to reschedule it by the officer.
Ang then told the officer, “then don’t need to buy medicine lah, don’t need to eat lah, that means cannot go out cannot eat lah.”
When told that she had to quarantine herself in a hotel, Ang shouted at the officer “YOU ARE KIDDING ME, I DON’T LIKE TO STAY HOTEL, I WANT TO STAY AT HOME.”
Ang was then reportedly called by 2 agents multiple times because they couldn’t hear her properly, and sometimes she would tell them that she had no time for them because she was working.
The agents then told her that she was under quarantine and cannot work, Ang then told them “I need money to eat, who wants to support me?”
The agent then told her that if she wanted to quarantine herself at home instead of going to a hotel, then her husband can’t leave the home either.”
Ang then shouted at them “HELLO! YOU ARE NONSENSE AH! IF MY HUSBAND CANNOT GO OUT, HOW DO WE EAT? CALL MOH, CALL GOVERNMENT TALK TO ME OK!”
Another agent then called Ang and told her the same thing, and Ang then reiterated her same stand and said that she was working.
Collect 4D winnings
Ang left her home on 23 July after receiving phone calls from the officers, and was outside for 7.5 hours from 10.20am to 5.45pm, going to Heartland Mall to eat, window shop, as well as collect her 4D winnings.
She then returned home via a bus that same evening, and was not “working” as she had claimed to the officers on the phone.
She then continued to breach her quarantine over the next few days, travelling to Ang Mo Kio via bus to buy lunch and dinner on separate occasions.
She also took a bus on 25 July to Teck Ghee Community Centre for her Covid-19 vaccination after being told not to do so by the officers.
On 28 and 29 July, she travelled by bus to buy food and also didn’t return to work during her quarantine.