Student who returned from UK exposed others to Covid-19 risk
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Esther Tan Ling Ying, 24, who was convicted yesterday, breached her stay-home notice on March 23 last year when she ate at a foodcourt at the airport and later visited a clinic.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
An undergraduate who was studying acting in Britain was convicted yesterday of exposing others to the risk of Covid-19 infection after returning to Singapore.
Esther Tan Ling Ying, 24, had some Covid-19 symptoms before she flew back from London via Doha. But in breach of her stay-home notice (SHN), she ate at a foodcourt at the airport on March 23 last year.
She then went to a clinic where she lied about her travel history to get medicine.
Tan began her course in London in 2017, but returned last year before completing her studies.
Prior to leaving Britain, she had flu-like symptoms and lost her sense of taste and smell.
These persisted when she landed at Changi Airport Terminal 1 on March 23 last year. She was issued an SHN and told to go home immediately. She cleared immigration at about 2.40pm.
However, she and her parents ate at the foodcourt at Terminal 1, spending about 30 minutes there.
They also took a train to Clementi, before Tan and her mother went to the Clementi Family and Aesthetic Clinic, which is near their home.
It was about 5.30pm the same day when she saw the doctor, and Tan lied about her travel history.
The doctor testified that Tan claimed to have been back in Singapore since January last year because of Chinese New Year.
She said Tan claimed to not have gone back to Britain because her parents were concerned about the virus.
The court heard how Tan had also told the doctor she had "dodged a bullet", in that one of her teachers potentially had the virus and some of her classmates had fallen ill.
A video of Tan coughing with her mask lowered in the clinic was later shown by the prosecution.
She tested positive for Covid-19 on March 30.
Tan claimed trial after being charged last year.
She claimed that she did not suspect she had the virus, and that the SHN instructions were confusing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Lim rubbished this, saying Tan was fully aware of the crucial points of the SHN and knew that she was a potential Covid-19 case.
District Judge Ng Peng Hong convicted Tan yesterday, and adjourned mitigation and sentencing to Aug 30.
For exposing others to the risk of infection with Covid-19, Tan can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000.
