Neighbor Serves Time for Another's Fatal Coronavirus Illness
Allegedly, it was just a bout of bronchitis. However, in actuality, the accused individual fell ill in December 2021. Disregarding quarantine measures, they infect a critically ill neighbor, who unfortunately does not make it past the infection. This kind of scenario likely occurs frequently, a judge remarks. Yet, in this instance, a significant expert opinion comes into play.
A court in Austria has ruled that a woman is responsible for her neighbor's death due to COVID-19. The Regional Court in Klagenfurt established that the 54-year-old accused person had transmitted the virus to the cancer-ridden man in December 2021. The judgment includes a four-month suspended sentence for reckless homicide and a fine of 2,000 euros, diluted over 200 daily installments of 4 euros each. The verdict is yet to be finalized.
The neighbor passed away due to a lung infection caused by a COVID-19 infection. An expert confirmed through genetic analysis that the viruses of the deceased and the accused matched "almost 100 percent." Such a high degree of agreement is uncommon because coronaviruses tend to mutate rapidly, the expert noted.
"I'm sorry for you on a personal level - I believe that something like this likely happens frequently," the judge said in her judgment. "However, you have the misfortune that an expert has proven with near certainty that it was an infection that originated from you." This evidence is sufficient for a guilty verdict, the judge justified.
Back in July 2023, the woman had already been given a four-month suspended sentence for intentionally endangering others with infectious diseases. Armed with positive COVID-19 test results in December 2021, she left her apartment and socialized with people without a mask. The neighbor's demise was tried separately. According to the deceased's family, they crossed paths in the hallway. At the time, she claimed to be too unwell to even stand up. In her view, she was experiencing bronchitis, 'like I usually do every winter,' she stated in court.
Despite the woman's claims of having bronchitis, the European Union's health regulations require individuals with suspected infectious diseases to isolate and inform their neighbors.
The European Union's guidelines on public health were clearly violated in this case, as the woman continuously socialized and infected her neighbor.
