China jails 2 for hiding trip to city at center of outbreak

Two people who returned to their hometown after contracting the coronavirus in the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak in January have been sentenced to prison for failing to quarantine themselves or report the visit. After returning from Wuhan, the pair visited supermarkets and other public places in the western city of Yibin in Sichuan province for more than a week before showing symptoms, the People’s Court of Cuping District in Yibin said Saturday on its social media account.

It said one defendant, identified only by the surname Deng, concealed the Wuhan trip when questioned by health workers. The court said 306 people who had contact with the pair were isolated for observation but gave no indication whether any was infected. Deng was sentenced to 11 months on charges of obstructing disease control, the court said. The other, identified by the surname Tian, was sentenced to nine months. Both sentences were postponed for 18 months.

(Image Credits: AP)