A COUNTY Fermanagh man who was fined £1,000 for failing to quarantine on his return from Spain later tested positive for Covid-19.
The unnamed man is understood to gone on holiday in Spain recently, but failed to properly quarantine for two weeks upon his return to Northern Ireland.
Under health guidelines, anyone returning from non Green List countries must quarantine for 14 days in order to prevent the transmission of the virus within the community.
According to The Irish News, the man in question did not quarantine, and in fact went out socialising in the town of Enniskillen over the weekend.
He later tested positive for the respiratory virus, the outlet reports.
Assistant Chief Constable for the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Alan Todd, confirmed in a statement that a fine had been issued for breach of travel regulations, clarifying that while management of quarantine regulations is a matter for the UK Border Force, the police will act on reports by members of the public.
“The police’s role is to respond to reports from the UK Border Force or any of their associated partners of potential breaches but the police will also act on any significant concerns raised by members of the public,” Chief Constable Todd explained.
“A £1,000 fine was issued (Tuesday 1 September) for breach of the International Travel Regulations."
Similar to the Gardaí in the Republic of Ireland, the role of PSNI officers with regards to Covid-19 regulations is "to engage, expain, encourage, and only where necessary, enforce", he continued.
“Everyone needs to continue to follow the government’s guidance to help suppress the transmission of the virus and support our NHS.”
It follows a similar incident in the Isle of Man, where a woman from Northern Ireland, who was given permission to travel to the isle in order to take care of her late mother's estate, was reported by a member of the public for travelling on a public bus to visit a lock smith.
The 60-year-old woman was jailed for four weeks.
