Grenadian woman charged for presenting Fake COVID-19 test
Grenada recently enforced a mandatory requirement of a negative PCR test in order to enter the country. Now 33-year-old, Gillian Fletcher, a resident of St. Andrew parish, is the first to be charged with presenting a fraudulent COVID_19 test.
Fletcher was charged deceit of a public officer and uttering a forged document. She was granted EC$10 000 (US$3,700) bail and is set to appear in court in May. She was tested positive for COVID-19 when she arrived in Grenada and the charges were laid after she was medically cleared.
The “medical inconsistencies” were noticed by a doctor tasked with overseeing all results presented by travelers at the Maurice Bishop International Airport. The matter was then investigated, and the findings were passed on to the police.
The lab Fletcher allegedly visited in New York for the PCR test was contacted and it was discovered that Fletcher’s name was not in the system as one of the people who had a COVID-19 test conducted at the facility.
All persons entering Grenada must present a negative PCR test conducted no less than 72 hours before arrival and a mandatory test will be conducted on the fifth day after arrival in the island.
After Fletcher tested positive, she had to continue her quarantine. She was charged immediately after receiving her medical clearance from quarantine. She had to surrender her passport as part of her bail conditions.
The maximum penalty for the charge of deceiving a public officer is three years in prison, while Fletcher could be jailed for up to two years on the charge of uttering a forged document are indictable.
Liz Myke
Reporter
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