A British man who claimed he was above Singapore’s mask mandate will spend six weeks in jail after being caught without a mask in public.
Schools, parents and local officials clash over back to school COVID restrictions
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In May, Benjamin Glynn was recorded refusing to wear a mask on a public train in Singapore. In the video, Glynn is seen saying, “I’m not going to put that on my face” and shouting expletives.
On Wednesday, Glynn, 40, was sentenced to six weeks in prison for repeatedly breaking COVID-19 protocols in the country, according to local outlet CNA.
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Glynn was sentenced on four charges over his failure to wear a mask on a train in May and at a court appearance in July. He also was charged with causing a public nuisance and using threatening words toward public servants, according to CNA.
© Kin Cheung, AP
People wearing masks to protect against the coronavirus, walk down a street in Hong Kong. Singapore and Hong Kong have postponed a planned air travel bubble meant to boost tourism for both cities, amid a spike in coronavirus infections in Hong Kong. The air travel bubble, originally slated to begin Sunday, will be delayed by at least two weeks, Hong Kong’s minister of commerce and economic development, Edward Yau, said at a news conference on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020.
Glynn’s main defense in court was that he was “not subject” to Singapore’s mask-mandate, although District Judge Eddy Tham said Glynn was aware of the laws and consequences.
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“It’s not open to him to say he is above the law,” Judge Tham told CNA.
Tham said allowing one man to state he is above the law would “completely undermine” the reasoning behind Singapore’s strict response to the pandemic.
When given a chance to speak in court, Glynn said it was his “God-given unalienable right to not wear a mask.”
Since the start of the pandemic, Singapore has enacted strict COVID-19 protocols and have reprimanded those who violated them. CNA reported several visitors and foreigners has their work permits revoked for breaking regulations.
In February, another British man visiting Singapore was sentenced to two weeks in jail after he violated his quarantine to see his fiancee, CNA reported.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man who refused to wear mask on public train sentenced to six weeks in Singapore jail
