Woman hits fine for missing court hearing: PUNISHED FOR HAVING COVID

A SANGRE Grande woman believes she was penalised by the court for contracting covid19.

Alexine Seale also believes she was discriminated against by a Family Court judge when she was unable to attend a trial because she was under a quarantine order.

Seale was ordered to pay costs for a day by the judge, who allegedly said covid19 was a lifestyle virus that she could have prevented if she had taken precautions.

In a recent interview with Newsday, Seale wants to know what other “precautions” she could have taken.

“I don’t know what else I was supposed to do. I have been following all the guidelines. I wasn’t charged for breaching the guidelines when I tested positive.”

Seale has a young daughter and accompanies her father every week to the hospital for dialysis treatment. She believes this is perhaps how she contracted covid19, since her father also tested positive.

Her young daughter, luckily, tested negative.

In September, when she tested positive, through her attorneys, Seale's test results were e-mailed to the court and the opposing party, she said.

On the day she tested positive, she was expected to meet with her attorney to prepare for the trial in the first week of Ocober, when she began feeling ill.

Seale had a rapid-result test which came back positive. The result was e-mailed to the court, but she was told it would not accept the results from a rapid-result test.

By then she had been issued a quarantine order by the county medical officer and told to isolate at home. Her quarantine also had to be extended well past the trial date because of her symptoms.

Current public health regulations make it an offence to breach a quarantine order, and carry a fine of $250,000 on summary conviction.

Seale said although the hearing was virtual, she could not log in for the trial at home because she did not have the proper online facilities there and would have had to go to her attorney’s office for the trial.

She would have also had to visit her attorney to prepare for the trial, but could not because of the quarantine order.

Court buildings continue to remain closed to in-person hearings.

Seale said at the time, her symptoms included coughing, a headache, chest pains and no sense of smell or taste. She also had a rash.

“Thankfully, my oxygen levels did not drop, so I did not require hospitalisation. But how can I be blamed and penalised? I did everything I could…my attorney let the court know well in advance my condition. I took every precaution. How was it my fault I got covid?

“I just think it was callous and inconsiderate.”

She wants to know if she should have risked being arrested, fined for breaching the public health regulations and contributing to the spread of covid19 by going to her attorney’s office for the trial.

“What you telling me, I look for covid?”

Seale has since filed an appeal against the judge’s costs order. It came up on Monday, before a judge in the Chamber Court.

Newsday e-mailed the Judiciary for comment on its policy for litigants who are under quarantine orders, but there was no response.

Attorneys in the matter before the Family Court and at the appeal have asked that the judge’s name not be called since the matters are before the court.