Lovelorn Aussie is first jailed for breaking virus quarantine
SYDNEY — An Australian who repeatedly sneaked out of coronavirus quarantine, reportedly to visit his girlfriend, was jailed for a month Wednesday – the first person imprisoned under the country’s lockdown laws.
Jonathan David, 35, was arrested earlier this month after jamming open a fire escape and slipping out of mandatory quarantine at a Perth hotel, Western Australia Police said in a statement.
He told Perth’s Magistrates Court that he first flouted the law to get food but hours later broke quarantine again because he missed his girlfriend, Seven News reported.
By escaping through the fire exit, he successfully avoided hotel staff several times but was caught on CCTV, police said.
Under laws aimed at stopping the spread of the virus, David was required to isolate for 14 days after arriving in Perth from the southeastern state of Victoria on March 28.
If he had remained in his hotel room he would have been freed on Monday but instead he will spend a full month in jail and has been handed a fine of more than AUS$2,000 (US$1,280).
Police around the country have issued more than 1,000 fines for breaches of lockdown laws, with offences ranging from dozens of people gathering for a street car rally in Brisbane to a group of men eating pizza in a car together in Sydney’s west.
For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link.
