Man, 24, could face 15 years in prison for ‘infecting’ 11 people with coronavirus at a party
A CORONAVIRUS “spreader” is facing 15 years in jail after reportedly infecting 11 people at a birthday bash with the killer disease.
Eric Torales flouted self-isolation rules in Argentina to attend a family friend’s 15th birthday celebrations when he returned from the US.
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The day before he attended the party in Buenos Aires, the government imposed a new law stating anyone who returns to Argentina from another country must self-isolate.
There are now fears the 24-year-old could have infected at least 11 people at the party including a 15-year-old girl, Todo Noticias reports.
Two elderly people aged 76 and 79 are also understood to be infected, with around 20 others placed in isolation.
Health officials are now hunting anyone else who had contact with Torales since he returned to Argentina on March 13.
Torales fell ill five days after the bash, which was attended by around 100 people, and was later tested positive for coronavirus in hospital.
He is now facing 15 days in jail if charged and later convicted of spreading a contagious disease.
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Cops have now placed him under house arrest and his passport was surrendered after he was discharged from hospital on Wednesday.
He can only leave the house for medical appointments.
There have been 589 cases of coronavirus in Argentina with 13 people dying after testing positive for the disease.
A number of countries have introduced emergency lockdown laws to help stop the spread of the disease.
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Yesterday, the coronavirus death toll has reached 20,000 across 182 countries – with three billion people around the world now in lockdown.
The virus has infected almost 500,000 people globally since breaking out in December, forcing governments to restrict people’s movements in a bid to slow its spread.
The death toll has begun to rise as healthcare systems across the world are overwhelmed by new patients.
