SINGAPORE, Sept 7 — A 60-year-old woman was sentenced to nine weeks’ jail today for violating Covid-19 laws by leaving her home to eat, get vaccinated and collect her 4D lottery winnings while under a quarantine order last year.

Ang Siew Wah was a close contact of a Covid-19-positive patient at the time. She eventually tested negative for the coronavirus.

The Singaporean, whom the prosecution described as a recalcitrant offender, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of breaching the Infectious Diseases Act by exposing others to the risk of infection.

Four other similar charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

‘I don’t need to eat?’

The court heard that two agents called Ang on July 23 last year to confirm that she knew she was under quarantine.

The first agent told her to reschedule her vaccination appointment because she could not leave her home, only to be at the receiving end of a furious rant from Ang.

"Hello? I don’t need to eat? I need money to eat. Sorry, I can’t go back home. I need money to eat. Who wants to support me?” Ang said.

The agent then said that MoH would be sending her to a hotel but Ang vehemently refused, insisting that she needed to be home to care for her husband who has diabetes.

She also told the agent to "call MoH, call government to talk to me”.

Later, another agent called Ang and explained once more that she had to stay home.

Again, Ang insisted that she "won’t stay at home the whole day”. She claimed that she was working and that she had not informed her employer about being under quarantine.

Following these phone calls, Ang left home for almost eight hours.

She went to the vicinity of Kovan MRT Station and Heartland Mall in Hougang to eat, window shop and collect her lottery winnings. She also went to Teck Ghee Community Centre for her Covid-19 jab.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Phoebe Tan sought nine to 10 weeks’ jail for Ang, saying she clearly did not intend to comply with the quarantine order despite being warned to stay home.

Ang also took public transport over the next four days, which "exposed even more innocent members of the public to the risk of infection”, the prosecutor added.

Those convicted of flouting Covid-19 regulations can be jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$10,000 (RM31,945), or punished with both. — TODAY