Man gets 2 years for violating epidemic control and prevention rules

A man has been sentenced to 2 years' imprisonment, with a three-year probation, after he violated China's rules on controlling and preventing COVID-19 earlier this year, according to a city court in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The man surnamed Cao was also fined 200,000 yuan ($31,320) due to the crime of obstructing frontier health and quarantine, according to the recent judgment from Pingxiang City People's Court.

After the hearing, the court held that Cao clearly knew he might be infected with COVID-19 but fraudulently filled out his health status at the entry-exit port, which led to serious risks in spreading the epidemic - 488 people were put in quarantine.

In April, Cao entered the country through the Youyiguan port, and he concealed the fact that there were many confirmed COVID-19 cases at the hotel he stayed in Vietnam and he had some symptoms of COVID-19, including fever.

While he was in quarantine at a hotel, he violated the terms and left his isolation room without permission to meet with friends.

A total of 459 people, including passengers and drivers on the same vehicle Cao took and personnel at the hotel, were put under quarantine for medical observation, causing direct economic losses of 645,862 yuan. Twenty-nine workers at Youyiguan port were also put in quarantine.

His behavior constituted the crime of obstructing frontier health and quarantine per Article 332 of the Criminal Law.