Man faces $50K fine for escaping quarantine to visit girlfriend
An Australian man blew off his coronavirus self-quarantine to visit his girlfriend — and even used public transportation to get there — and could now be fined up to $50,000, according a report.
The 35-year-old man, whose name was not released, was busted Sunday, West Australian police announced on Facebook.
The man arrived in West Australia from Victoria on March 28 and was required to self-quarantine for 14 days at a Perth hotel under the state’s Emergency Management Act, police said.
But instead, he snuck out of his Travelodge hotel Friday and Saturday night because he “wanted to see his girlfriend” and had no one to bring him food, 7 News reported.
Police visited his hotel room early Saturday after being contacted by hotel staff, but he was not there, according to the report. When he showed up 45 minutes later, he told authorities he went out to tend to a personal problem.
Police directed him not to leave again unless it was for a medical emergency — but he flouted their orders and left around 9 p.m. that night, wedging open a fire escape door and fleeing down the emergency stairwell, the outlet reported.
CCTV footage captured him returning around 4 the next morning.
Hotel staff told police they spotted the man outside his room on five occasions over the course of four days.
Cops said he used public transit in his travels, 7 News reported.
He was denied bail at a court appearance Monday, with prosecutors arguing he showed “complete negligence for the conditions of the Emergency Management Act” and had “put the community of Western Australia at risk,” according to the report.
He was remanded and ordered to make a court appearance over video on Thursday.
“Custody is far worse than staying in a hotel,” WA Premier Mark McGowan said at a Monday press conference, according to news.com.au. “He has already suffered a consequence. He can now suffer a penalty of up to $50,000 and further incarceration.”
“He has done the wrong thing, he has been caught,” McGowan added. “I expect the law will deal with him fairly harshly.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/06/man-faces-50k-fine-for-escaping-quarantine-to-visit-girlfriend/
Photo Credit: nypost.com