A man penalized for breaching COVID-19 quarantine regulations has had his fine revoked after it emerged that he had been kidnapped by debt collectors.
The man, surnamed Chen (陳), returned from Hong Kong in late October last year and began his 14 days of mandatory home quarantine at a friend’s home in Nantou County.
However, the following day, men identified as debt collectors arrived at the home and reportedly mistook Chen for his friend, who owed them money.
The men assaulted Chen, abducted him and took him to his own home to collect the money owed, the Ministry of Justice said last week.
He was then returned to the residence where he had been in quarantine.
It was not clear how police were alerted that he had left, but the government’s quarantine system includes electronic monitoring through cellphone signals.
Chen was arrested and fined NT$100,000 for breaching the regulations.
Chen’s explanation was investigated and confirmed, the ministry said, adding that his fine was revoked because he was forced to leave quarantine against his will.
“The breach of the quarantine regulations was not caused by his own intentional or negligent behavior,” said Hu Tian-ci (胡天賜), a spokesman for the ministry’s Changhua branch. “According to the law, such behavior should not be punished and should be referred to the health unit for withdrawal.”
It is the first time that a government fine for a quarantine breach has been reversed.
The maximum fine for breaching the regulations is NT$300,000.
It was imposed last month on a pilot who flew between Taiwan and the US, but traveled around Taipei while infectious, leading to the first locally transmitted case in more than 250 days.
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