There’s a saying that goes like this: Two wrongs doesn’t make a right.
And one man has recently found out how true it was.
Man Took Mask Off & Coughed At Woman Because She Wasn’t Wearing Hers Properly
On 22 Apr 2020, at around 8am, Singaporean Tan Shiaw Wee was withdrawing money at a nearby ATM when he spotted Ms Ng Poh Wei, a supermarket staff working at the Sheng Siong outlet at Block 451 Bukit Batok West Avenue 6.
She was standing at the entrance to the supermarket and had taken her mask off partially to wipe perspiration off her face, reportedly for a few seconds.
Tan wasn’t happy with her actions and decided to do something about it.
He walked over to her, picked up a hand sanitiser meant for customers and sprayed her several times.
He then walked away. Not for long though.
After Ms Ng told him that she’ll take a photo of him and report him to the police, he did something even more drastic.
He took off his mask and coughed into her face.
Ms Ng was afraid and worried that she was infected with Covid-19.
Thankfully, it seems that Tan wasn’t a Covid-19 case, just a regular Singaporean and nothing came out of it.
Nothing on Ms Ng’s side, that is.
On Tan’s side, however, it’s a totally different story.
Jailed 5 Weeks
On 28 Jul 2020, Tan pleaded guilty to a charge of harassment and an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.
For the harassment charge, he could’ve been jailed for up to six months and fined for up to S$5,000.
For the offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, he could’ve been jailed for up to 6 months and fined up to $10,000.
In the end, Tan was sentenced to a 5-week jail term on 23 Sep 2020.
The District Judge overseeing the case had said that it was “unfortunate” that Tan had let “something trivial” get the better of him.
Emotions Can Run High Especially During Covid-19
It’s understandable that emotions run high, especially during this highly-stressful period known as the Covid-19 pandemic, or, as PM Lee likes to say, the crisis of a generation.
But do try to control your emotions because as recent events have shown, losing control can lead to consequences that you might not be prepared to deal with.