A Chinese national who contracted coronavirus could face up to six months in jail in Singapore over allegations he gave false information about his whereabouts in the city-state.

Singapore has won international praise for its fastidious approach in tackling the virus – which has included using police investigators and security cameras to help track suspect carriers.

The wealthy island state, an important regional financial centre, and transport hub had confirmed 93 cases at production time.

The health ministry on Wednesday said it had charged a 38-year-old man from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus first surfaced late last year, and his wife who lives in Singapore for providing false information to authorities about their movements for contact tracing.

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The husband had been confirmed to be infected with the virus in late January and has since recovered, while his wife had been quarantined because of her close contact with him.

The health ministry said “detailed investigations” had established their true movements and they were charged “in view of the potentially serious repercussions of the false information … and the risk they could have posed to public health”.

Charges under the Infectious Diseases Act are rare and this is the first case during the coronavirus outbreak in Singapore. First-time offenders under the act can be fined up to S$10,000 (US$7,150) or imprisoned for six months, or both.

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