Three men were sentenced to jail today for violating the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation.

In the first case, a 31-year-old man gave a false residential address as a place of quarantine to an officer at a boundary control point.

He was charged with contravening the regulation and was sentenced by the Fanling Magistrates' Courts to three months' imprisonment.

The second and third cases involve two men aged 37 and 41 who left their places of quarantine before their quarantine orders expired.

They were stopped by Immigration Department staff at boundary control points.

The two men were charged with contravening the regulation and were sentenced by West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts to 10 days and six weeks in jail.

The Government welcomed the judgments, adding that the sentences sent a clear message to the community that breaching quarantine orders is a criminal offence and that it will not tolerate such actions.

It reiterated that compliance with quarantine orders is of paramount importance in Hong Kong's fight against COVID-19.

Breaching quarantine orders is a criminal offence and offenders are subject to a maximum imprisonment of six months and a fine of $25,000.