A Taiwanese woman, who was not wearing a mask when she tried to enter Ion Orchard mall, purposely sneezed in a security guard's direction when denied entry amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

Sun Szu-Yen, 46, then said: "You get it? You get it already!"

After that, she took her passport out of her bag and said: "I am China. I am Taiwan."

Sun, who is in Singapore on a long-term pass, pleaded guilty in a district court yesterday to one count of performing a rash act and an unrelated harassment charge.

On April 12, security guard Devika Rani Muthu Krishnan, 56, was deployed to one of the entrances of Ion Orchard at Lift Lobby A on the fifth storey.

One of the Singaporean's tasks was to ensure that shoppers' particulars were recorded on a form for contact tracing. She also had to ensure that they wore masks before entering the mall.

Sun, who was not wearing one, appeared at around 12.40pm and filled out a form.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Deborah Lee said: "The victim reminded the accused to wear a mask before entering the mall. However, the accused used her scarf to wrap around her mouth instead.

"When the victim did not allow the accused entry into the mall, the accused pulled another scarf out of her bag and indicated that she wanted to use it as a mask."

Sun then sneezed in Ms Devika Rani's direction when the security guard refused to let her pass.

The Taiwanese then took the form and scribbled on it to cancel her particulars.

When Ms Devika Rani tried to stop her, Sun told her to "shut up" and added: "Do your work."

A closed-circuit television camera captured the incident. Sun left the premises soon after.

Separately, Sun was in her home on the third storey of a condominium near Bukit Timah Road at around 10pm on June 4 last year when she felt "stressed and frustrated".

To vent her frustration, she picked up items including a vacuum cleaner and a glass bottle, and flung them out of a window. A security guard at the property alerted the police after she refused to calm down.

Yesterday, DPP Lee said that according to an Institute of Mental Health report, Sun has a mood disorder. Deputy Principal District Judge Seah Chi-Ling then called for reports to assess her suitability for orders, including one for mandatory treatment.

Offenders given the order have to undergo treatment for their mental condition in lieu of jail time.

Sun will be sentenced on July 28.