A US college student and her boyfriend have reportedly been ordered to serve two months in prison in the Cayman Islands for violating strict COVID-19 measures Tuesday, down from a judge’s previous ruling of a four-month sentence.

What You Need To Know

  • Skylar Mack, 18, of Georgia, and Vanjae Ramgeet, 24, of the Cayman Islands, are in prison after breaking strict COVID-19 quarantine measures

  • On Tuesday, a judge reduced their sentences from four months to two months in prison

  • Mack and Ramgeet were arrested on Nov. 29 after Mack failed to comply with the mandatory 14-day quarantine period 

  • Mack's family is appealing to President Donald Trump to help with her case

Skylar Mack, 18, of Georgia, and Vanjae Ramgeet, 24, of the Cayman Islands, have been in prison since Dec. 15., attorney Jonathan Hughes told The Associated Press. Hughes successfully argued for the shortened sentence in court Tuesday, according to local outlet the Cayman Compass.

The trouble began when Mack, who is enrolled as a pre-med student at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, arrived in the Cayman Islands on Nov. 27. Mack was supposed to quarantine for two weeks as mandated by the local government, which electronically tracks anyone who arrives in the British Caribbean territory. 

But after reportedly taking a COVID-19 test and receiving a negative result, the pre-med student from Mercer University removed her electronic tracking device on Nov. 29 and journeyed to Grand Cayman’s South Sound in order to watch Ramgeet compete in a jet-skiing competition.

Soon after, event organizers were notified that Mack may have violated quarantine rules and notified authorities, who arrested Mack and Ramgeet. Mack was not wearing a mask and spent nearly 7 hours in close proximity with other event-goers, who were later forced to quarantine, police told local outlets.

After their arrest, a judge ruled the couple had to provide 40 hours of community service and pay a $4,400 fine. In addition, Ramgeet was ordered to a two-month curfew that would start at 7 p.m. But the prosecution appealed, arguing the punishment was unduly lenient and would not deter other possible violators. A higher court decided in favor of prosecutors, ruling on Dec. 15 that the couple be imprisoned immediately.

During the original sentencing hearing on Dec. 15, Justice Roger Chapple said the couple’s decision was “born of selfishness and arrogance,” saying: “This was as flagrant a breach as could be imagined,” per the Cayman Compass.

Hughes said the sentence is the first of its kind, adding that Mack’s family is concerned: “They’re worried for her because she’s in prison in a foreign country on her own. While this is something she brought on herself, it’s very distressing for her.”

Mack’s family is appealing to President Donald Trump in an effort to bring the college student home, with the girl’s grandmother telling NBC’s “TODAY” show Monday Mack “knows she screwed up.” 

"We're not asking for her to get an exception," Jeanne Mack told NBC of her letter to the president. "We're asking for her not to be the exception."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.