American pilot jailed in Singapore for violating quarantine order

A US cargo pilot who admitted his "poor judgment" by violating a quarantine order to purchase medical supplies has become the first foreigner imprisoned in Singapore for violating his restrictions on the fight against coronavirus, said on Friday his lawyer.

FedEx pilot Brian Dugan Yeargan, 44, of Alaska, was sentenced to four weeks on Wednesday after pleading guilty to leaving his hotel room for three hours to buy masks and a mask. thermometer, said defense attorney Ronnie Tan. .

Singapore has one of the largest outbreaks in Asia, with 26,000 cases. More than 90% of those infected are foreign workers living in overcrowded dormitories, while the government has recently started to relax restrictions on the local population.

The small city-state imposes severe sanctions on those who break quarantine rules, do not hide in public or do not respect social distancing measures. Quarantine offenders face up to six months in prison, a fine of up to 10,000 Singapore dollars ($ 7,000), or both.

According to Tan, Yeargan and his two co-pilots were taken to an airport hotel for 14-day quarantine upon their arrival from Sydney on April 3. It was required because they stated in their health declarations that they had visited China, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan and the United States in the past two weeks preceding their arrival, said Tan.

The health authorities who searched Yeargan found him missing from his room on April 5. Yeargan told the court that he took the downtown subway to buy a thermometer and boxes of masks before returning home on April 6.

Tan said that Yeargan needed these items because they were rare in his country and that his wife was sick. Yeargan's wife had difficulty breathing but tested negative for coronavirus in March, she said.

Tan said that Yeargan had lost his daughter in a tragic incident four years ago and that the possibility of another death frightened him. Yeargan told the court that his two co-pilots had flown on April 6 as planned, but kept him in his room. He also said that he had to give up a mission to carry out a humanitarian aid mission in the countries affected by COVID-19 for the US Air Force. United States Because of his mistake in Singapore.

"In his speech to the court, Yeargan said he was sorry, that he had made a poor judgment and that he should not have voted on it," said Tan. The American also said he had "the utmost respect for the people of Singapore and their laws," added Tan.

The court said in its ruling that Yeargan should have asked someone to get the articles from him.

Tan said that Yeargan was relieved, prosecutors having asked for a sentence of up to eight weeks. He said he would request a removal for good behavior, which could see the American finish his sentence in three weeks.

The Anchorage Daily News Yeargan reported that he is from the Eagle River community and serves with the Alaska Air National Guard. He said he had last spoken to his parents on Mother's Day. "He takes care of him," said Jim Yeargan.

FedEx spokesperson Davina Cole told the newspaper that the company complies with all government regulations regarding the virus.

Yeargan was the first foreigner convicted of violating quarantine orders, but several Singaporeans were jailed between five and six weeks for leaving their homes.