Man who breached coronavirus stay-home notice stripped of Singapore PR status, barred from re-entry

A thermal scanner in the arrival area of Changi Airport Terminal 3 on Feb 14, 2020. On Feb 23, the offender was spotted attempting to leave Singapore, and was warned that he had breached the requirements of his notice and could face penalties. But he still insisted on leaving.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

SINGAPORE - A 45-year-old Singapore permanent resident (PR) who breached stay-home notice (SHN) requirements while he was in Singapore from Feb 20 to 23 has lost his PR status.

He has also been barred from re-entering Singapore, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Wednesday (Feb 26).

According to the ICA, the man, who The Straits Times understand is a Chinese national, was served with the notice on Feb 20 when he arrived at Changi Airport as he had travel history to mainland China in the past 14 days.

These notices are issued to Singapore residents, long-term pass holders and foreign workers who have travelled to mainland China, outside of Hubei province, in the last 14 days.

He was briefed on the requirements of the notice but failed to respond to phone calls, and was not at his declared place of residence when ICA officers conducted enforcement checks in the days after his return to Singapore.

On Feb 23, he was spotted attempting to leave Singapore, and was warned that he had breached the requirements of his notice and could face penalties.

But he still insisted on leaving.

As a result, ICA said it has rejected his application for renewal of his Re-entry Permit, which allows a person to retain his or her PR status while outside of Singapore.

This means that he has lost his PR status.

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ICA said: "The Government will continue to conduct regular random checks through house visits and phone calls to ensure compliance with the SHN, so that the well-being of the community is not put at risk."

It highlighted that those who fail to comply with the notice may face stiff penalties, including prosecution under the Infectious Diseases Act.

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