Hong Kong jails Indian businessman for breaking quarantine laws

Deepak Kumar, 31, was sentenced to four weeks in jail after he pleaded guilty to one count of leaving the place of quarantine without the permission given by an authorised officer, reports the South China Morning Post newspaper.

Kwun Tong Court heard the Kumar arrived in Hong Kong from Turkey on March 21, and was placed under a written quarantine order to stay in isolation at Mojo Nomad Aberdeen Harbour Hotel in Aberdeen, for 14 days.

But immigration officers found him trying to leave Hong Kong via Shenzhen Bay Control Point without permission the following morning and intercepted him.

The case was the first breach of the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation, which since March 19 has required all arrivals from outside China to undergo 14 days of compulsory quarantine, said the newspaper in its report.

Offenders face six months in prison and a maximum fine of HK$25,000.