COVID19: Woman who spread virus fined €800

A woman who breached her quarantine to spread the virus by hosting a birthday party and attending social gatherings was fined €800 under the infectious diseases law by Larnaca district court on Wednesday.

The 47-year old woman, who had come to Cyprus from the USA in July, had failed to self-isolate for two weeks as required by Health Ministry decrees for Cypriots and residents coming from high-risk countries.

Instead of staying home the woman travelled around and participated in various social gatherings, infecting others with the coronavirus.

The Health Ministry in August, when the case was made public, said the woman had created her own cluster of coronavirus cases which had reached at least 30.

She was found guilty after facing a charge regarding measures introduced to contain the coronavirus outbreak and paid the fine the same day.

In its decision, the Larnaca court said it took as a mitigating factor the fact that the woman was not familiar with the quarantine law because she had been abroad.

The USA is a category C country which means only people with special permission, residents and Cypriots are allowed entry into Cyprus.

Cypriots must be tested on arrival and then enter 14 days of self-isolation; the woman did not do this but instead organised a birthday party for her daughter and attended other social events.

The court’s decision has come under criticism as it follows a series of much harsher penalties handed out to people who have violated the law on infectious diseases.

Earlier in March, a love-struck man was jailed for 45 days after being found guilty of breaking Cyprus lockdown to visit his girlfriend.

The 35-year-old, from Famagusta, had said he ‘decided to visit his girlfriend’, a little after 9 pm on March 25.

A daily night-time curfew between 9 pm-6 am was imposed on March 24.

Following a public outcry, the man was pardoned by the President.