Remember the circuit breaker?
It’s a dark period in Singapore’s history that most residents are trying to forget; social gatherings were not allowed, Prata breakfasts were lukewarm, and bubble tea was only available if you made it yourself, an unholy concoction that was often worse than dehydration.
While the circuit breaker is over for most of us, it’s coming back to haunt those who flouted safe distancing rules during that dark time.
And I’m not just talking about heavy fines or even a short jail term. I’m talking about being banned from the country.
10 Indian Nationals Deported & Banned from S’pore
Remember the group of students who gathered to at a rented apartment to have tea and study?
10 of them were charged and fined between S$2,500 and S$4,500 for flouting safe distancing rules during the circuit breaker.
Three of them, who were tenants at a residential unit along Kim Keat Road, invited six men and one woman over for a social gathering at their unit on 5 May 2020.
An unidentified person called the police about “an altercation” at the 34A Kim Keat Road apartment, and the police found out about their illegal gathering.
The three tenants were charged with allowing other individuals to enter their place of residence without a valid reason, while the seven visitors were charged with violating the prohibition on social gatherings.
They received hefty fines, but just a month or so after getting charged, all 10 of them have had their work and student passes cancelled.
They were deported to India between June and July 2020, and barred from re-entering Singapore, reported Mothership.
But they weren’t the only ones.
Two More Foreigners Deported & Barred From Re-entering
A 23-year-old Malaysian and a 37-year-old Chinese national also suffered the same fate.
On 18 April, during the circuit breaker, Arvinish N Ramakrishnan invited his friend to his house for drinks and later sent his friend home on a motorcycle.
The two were later stopped at a roadblock along Yishun Avenue 6.
Arvinish, who was in Singapore on a work permit, was charged with drink-driving and violating Covid-19 regulations.
He was fined $4000 and had his work permit revoked after he pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him.
He was deported to Malaysia on 5 June 2020, and barred from re-entering Singapore.
On 5 May, Cheng Fengzhao invited a man over into her condominium unit for some hanky panky in exchange for money.
Cheng was arrested in an anti-vice operation set up by the police.
She later admitted to allowing the same male customer into the unit a month earlier.
Cheng pleaded guilty to two counts of permitting another individual to enter her place of residence without a valid reason and was fined $7,000.
Like the others, Cheng had her work pass revoked and was deported to China on 10 June. She is not allowed to re-enter Singapore.
Expats at Robertson Quay Faced Similar Punishment
Remember the expats who were caught gathering outside bars and restaurants at Robertson Quay to drink during the circuit breaker?
The seven individuals who were caught pleaded guilty to one charge each under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020 and were fined between $8,000 to $9,000 a few weeks ago.
Six of them had their work passes revoked and has been permanently banned from working in Singapore.
The Ministry of Manpower said that all work pass holders must abide by the law, and it will continue to take enforcement actions against those who do not comply.
So, for your own sake, dear reader, abide by the safe distancing rules in place, because the Singapore government really isn’t messing around.
Now that you’re done knowing that you shouldn’t mess with the government when it comes to Covid-19, you might as well just watch our latest video whereby we simplify what TraceTogether is here:
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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