A married couple were fined a total of $5,000 yesterday after they admitted they breached a Covid-19 quarantine to go to a wedding.

Nixon Toussaint, 35, and wife Melinda, 37, pleaded guilty in Magistrates’ Court to attending the event before they got back their test results.

The court heard that the two flew in from Maryland and arrived in Bermuda last Sunday.

The Toussaints were told to stay in their rooms at the Grotto Bay Hotel until they got their results back in between 10 to 24 hours.

But when the nurse who carried out the tests contacted Grotto Bay later that day they were told by hotel staff that the couple had left to attend a wedding at the Unfinished Church in St George.

Takiyah Burgess, for the Crown, said that the two were found at the church reception without masks “mingling” with other guests and were arrested.

She added that their tests came back clear for Covid-19.

Archibald Warner, who appeared for the Toussaints, said that his clients were only supposed to be on the island for three days and left the hotel because they worried they could not give the bride and groom their wedding gift before they left.

He added that the two did not mingle with other wedding guests, but ijad kept their distance as they waited for a ride back to the hotel.

Mr Warner said that the Toussaints were missionaries who had fallen on tough economic times and asked for leniency.

But Magistrate Maxanne Anderson said “we need to send a message” on the need to stick to Government health regulations.

She added: “The world’s suffering from this coronavirus. Bermuda’s rating is extremely low and we want to keep it low.

“We can’t let people think that they can just wander around the island without being tested and they’ll only be fined $400.”

Ms Anderson fined the Toussaints $2,500 each and ordered them to pay before their flight back to the United States yesterday afternoon.