SINGAPORE, Sept 25 — A 25-year-old auditor was fined S$3,700 (RM11,188) yesterday after she flouted Covid-19 regulations on two consecutive days by allowing one friend to enter her flat to take an examination and meeting another friend to give her a birthday gift.

Mika She Yuan Wei, a Malaysian who is a Singapore permanent resident, pleaded guilty to two charges under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020, which came into force on April 8.

The breaches occurred on May 8 and 9, when Singapore was having a circuit breaker where people had to stay home and non-essential activities were restricted.

The court heard that fellow auditor, Malaysian Chiew Chin Wooi, 25, had asked her during that time if he could take the Certified Practising Accountant examination at her place because his own Wi-Fi was weak.

Advertisement

She agreed, and Chiew went to her flat on the morning of May 8. After leaving the flat that afternoon, Chiew went to a doctor and was given a five-day medical certificate (MC). He was suffering from a cough.

Chiew posted the MC online, which She saw before Chiew returned to her flat on May 9 to study and complete the second part of the examination.

After Chiew was done with his exam on May 9, She arranged to meet another friend and colleague, a 26-year-old woman, to give her a birthday present. Chiew went along as well.

Advertisement

The trio then went to a supermarket at Punggol Waterway Point mall to buy groceries for about 30 minutes before buying dinner.

Last month, a court had heard that a warrant of arrest had been issued for Chiew, who had been required by law to stay home for five days as a result of the MC.

Chiew was set to face seven charges under the Infectious Diseases Act and the Covid-19 regulations on August 14, when the court heard that he had not returned to Singapore.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Norman Yew said yesterday that Chiew is still at large.

Wanted to 'help him complete his exams'

The prosecution sought a S$4,000 fine for She, saying that she had allowed Chiew into her flat even though she knew that Chiew had seen a doctor a day before.

“There was no real need to let Chiew into the flat,” DPP Yew said.

She, who was not represented by a lawyer, said that she just wanted to “help him complete his exams.”

“At that point when he told me that he had no stable Wi-Fi, I assumed that I was the only help available to him... I know the importance of an exam, so I agreed and opened the house to him,” she told the court.

“I know at the back of my mind that it is during the circuit breaker, but I wanted to extend a helping hand to him during that period. If not, I would not have allowed him in.”

She added that they took precautionary measures at her flat, such as remaining more than 1m apart. She also said that he looked “perfectly fine” to her, and was “not severely sick or having a flu.”

When meting out the sentence, District Judge Prem Raj said that if there had been only one charge, he would have been inclined to exercise greater leniency, but her offences had spanned two days.

“I can’t understand why you told me all the precautions (you had taken but then) you had to meet someone else to pass her a birthday gift,” he said.

She will be jailed for 18 days if she fails to pay her fine.

For each contravention, She could be fined up to S$10,000 or jailed for up to six months, or both. — TODAY