Shoppers fined £1,600 for quarantine breach

Monday 07 September 2020

A pair have been fined £1,600 for leaving compulsory quarantine to go shopping after arriving in Jersey from a ‘red’ zone.

Maxime David (29) and Farfan Margarita (31) appeared in the Magistrate’s Court this morning where they both pleaded guilty to breaking a law requiring them to self-isolate.

Under the island’s ‘traffic light’ travel system, anyone arriving from a ‘red’ country must isolate for 14 days – even if they test negative for covid upon their arrival on the island.

However, during spot checks on 7 August, the Enforcement team said they found that the couple had left their homes to go shopping when they should have been in compulsory quarantine.

Pictured: The pair had arrived in Jersey after travelling from designated 'red' zone Luxembourg.

They were charged with the isolation breach on 27 August and appeared in the Magistrate’s Court this morning before Assistant Magistrate David Le Cornu.

Both David and Margarita represented themselves in court, and pleaded guilty to the offence.

The Assistant Magistrate subsequently fined them £800 each, to be paid within 24 hours. 

The case marked the first sanctions to be handed out under the Covid-19 (Screening, Assessment and isolation)(Jersey) Regulations 2020 since Jersey’s borders reopened to commercial travel.

Meanwhile, several individuals have been prosecuted for isolation breaches in Guernsey - including a Jerseyman.

Pictured: A Jersey man was recently fined £6,000 for breaching Guernsey's isolation rules.

Gareth Le Monnier, who had travelled to the island on board the Channel Chieftain in July, was fined £6,000 after breaking his compulsory 14-day quarantine on the island by visiting a hairdressers, toy shop and café.

An enhanced monitoring and enforcement team to check up on recent arrivals into Jersey was launched at the beginning of August.

Since then, more than 3,000 checks have been made on islanders.

Speaking following the sentencing, leader of that team Caroline Maffia said: "While the vast majority of people are sticking to the rules and self-isolating when they are required to, it is disappointing to see that there are some who have ignored the rules.

"The Court has made it clear that by going shopping when you should be self-isolating is putting other people at risk, and it will not be tolerated. It is important to know that when you decide to travel, there may be changes in classifications while you are away and you may have to self-isolate when you return home. It is only by following these rules that we will keep infection rates low and stop the virus spreading throughout the community."

What does self-isolating involve?

(Information from Government of Jersey)

While isolating you must not leave your home or accommodation. This means you:

• must not leave the property except in an emergency or to receive essential medical care
• must not visit any public areas –this includes beaches, parks, pubs and restaurants
• must not leave your accommodation to buy food or other essentials
• must not use public transport or taxis 
• must not go to work or school
• must not go outside to exercise (unless you can do this whilst still on your property, away from other household members, and it is not in a communal area)

It also means you must not let any other person into your accommodation, unless the person:

• lives with you 
• is providing essential care or medical help to someone in the household
• is entering the property in the case of an emergency (this may include emergency repairs, plumbing etc.) 

You should tell anyone entering your property should that you are isolating. Maintain physical distancing and hygiene measures, where possible.