This July 12, 2012 photo shows Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong. (PHOTO / INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
HONG KONG - A man prosecuted for deliberately misleading immigration officials by giving a fake home quarantine address after returning from the Chinese mainland was denied bail on Monday.
It was the first such court case since the mandatory quarantine rule was introduced on Feb 8 to contain the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic in Hong Kong
It was the first such court case since the mandatory quarantine rule was introduced on Feb 8 to contain the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic in Hong Kong.
The 31-year-old holder of Hong Kong ID appeared in Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts on Monday. He was accused of providing false information to border control officials when entering the city at Shenzhen Bay checkpoint on March 8.
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The judge fixed the next date of hearing on March 30 and transferred it to Fanling Magistrates' Courts after the defendant pleaded not guilty.
The rising number of confirmed coronavirus infections has deepened worries about a massive community outbreak. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor warned on Saturday that those who breached quarantine orders could face the "full force of the law”.
On Sunday, the government said 41 people had been found to have violated the home quarantine order since March 19 when additional measure to quarantine all arrivals from overseas was introduced. Among the offenders, five were intercepted by police and sent to quarantine centers. Police are still looking for the other 36.
READ MORE: 41 people found flouting compulsory quarantine orders
