Story By: Alex Cope, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

A Chinese man has lost his much-prized permanent residency visa to live in Singapore after breaching the city-state’s stay-at-home rules brought in to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The 45-year-old man, who has not been named, had reportedly been served with a stay-home notice (SHN) on 20th February as he had travelled to mainland China in the 14 days previous.

The SHN required the man to stay in his residence for all times for 14 days, however, agents from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said he did not answer his phone and was not at his residence when they carried out a check.

He was then reportedly caught trying to flee Singapore at Changi Airport on 23rd February. He was told he had breached his SHN and could face a penalty for doing so, but is said to have insisted on leaving Singapore.

Officers from the ICA therefore decided to reject his re-entry permit, meaning he lost his status as a Permanent Resident in the country. He will not be allowed to re-enter Singapore.

The ICA said in a statement: “The Government will continue to conduct regular random checks through house visits and phone calls to ensure compliance with the SHN, so that the well-being of the community is not put at risk.”

The SHN was first implemented in Singapore on 18th February to prevent the spread of coronavirus, now officially called COVID-19 by the World Health Organization.

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