Vietnamese jailed five years for spreading coronavirus

A Vietnamese court has sentenced a 28-year-old man, Le Van Tri, to five years imprisonment for breaking strict Covid-19 quarantine rules and spreading the virus to others.

Tri was found guilty and convicted of “spreading dangerous infectious diseases” at a one-day trial at the People’s Court of the southern province of Ca Mau, according to the state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

Before his conviction, prosecutors said Tung traveled back to Ca Mau from Ho Chi Minh City and breached the 21-day quarantine regulation.

“Tung infected eight people, one of whom died due to the virus after one month of treatment,” the court heard.

READ ALSO: Vietnamese suspect imprisoned for murder of brother to N’Korean president regains freedom

Ca Mau, Vietnam’s southernmost province, has reported only 191 cases and two deaths since the pandemic began, much lower than the nearly 260,000 cases and 10,685 deaths in the country’s coronavirus epicenter, Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam is battling a worsening Covid-19 outbreak that has infected more than 536,000 people and killed 13,385, the vast majority in the past few months.

The country has already sentenced two other people to 18-month and two-year suspended jail terms on the same charges.

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