HONG KONG, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam Monday reiterated zero tolerance toward breaches of quarantine orders as three men were sentenced to imprisonment for breaching the compulsory quarantine orders aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Given a large number of people under quarantine, self-discipline and cooperation are of utmost importance, and the government will exercise zero tolerance toward violations and will take stringent enforcement actions, Lam said.
"I urge all people under quarantine not to defy the law for the sake of themselves and the community," Lam said during a visit to a new monitoring center of the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer at the North Point, Hong Kong Island.
Three men were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 10 days to three months on Monday for breaching the compulsory quarantine regulation in Hong Kong, the first such cases since the COVID-19 outbreak.
A man, 31, will be jailed for three months as he intentionally provided a fake home address to an authorized officer when entering Hong Kong through Shenzhen Bay Port border control point on March 8.
He pleaded guilty at the Fanling Magistrates' Courts on Monday morning.
The judge said the man's act of providing false information was selfish and showed disregard of social safety, and could frustrate the joint efforts of the Hong Kong society to fight the epidemic.
The other two, aged 37 and 41, were sentenced at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts to imprisonment for 10 days and six weeks respectively as they, after being put under quarantine, illegally left the designated residences and tried to leave Hong Kong.
The sentences sent a clear message that breaching quarantine orders is a criminal offense, the HKSAR government said in a statement, stressing that compliance with quarantine orders is of paramount importance in Hong Kong's fight against COVID-19.
Since the compulsory quarantine went into effect on March 19, the Department of Health of the HKSAR government has issued quarantine orders to 50,000 inbound travelers, who underwent quarantines at home or quarantine centers.
Violators face maximum imprisonment for six months and a fine of 25,000 Hong Kong dollars (more than 3,000 U.S. dollars).
Thousands of personnel and volunteers from various government departments have been mobilized to carry out the quarantine, including monitoring people under quarantine and providing various kinds of support.
Lam encouraged the hard-working personnel at the center and learned about the monitoring wristbands and mobile applications used by people under quarantine.
