Over 9,600 Individuals & Companies Were Fined for Breaking COVID-19 Rules In the Past Yr

Every 15 seconds, a Singaporean buys a cup of bubble tea, complains about the weather, and flouts a COVID-19 regulation.

Besides obesity, the first two are pretty harmless. But the last one can lead to an outbreak of a deadly virus in the community.

If you read articles on the Goody Feed app regularly last year, you’d remember that we published around 45 articles daily on residents breaking COVID-19 rules.

Now, the authorities have given us an exact number of the errant parties, and it’s much worse than we thought.

Over 9,600 Individuals & Companies Were Fined for Breaking COVID-19 Rules In the Past Yr

Over 9,600 fines were handed out to errant individuals and companies in the past year for failing to comply with COVID-19 regulations, according to The Straits Times.

From April last year to the end of last month alone, more than 7,500 fines were issued to people who breached safe distancing rules and safe management measures in public spaces.

Those who did not wear masks, or sovereigns, as we call them, were issued a total of 1,800 fines.

Figures Released As More Employees Return to Workplaces

These figures were released by the authorities as more employees return to the workplace today (5 Apr).

Between March 2020 and March 2021, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) inspected over 38,000 companies for violations of safe management measures, handing out fines to more than 300 companies.

Of these, 140 employers were ordered to shut due to serious breaches. They were only permitted to reopen once their breaches were rectified.

Even though more than a year has passed since the coronavirus landed on our shores, and community cases have significantly decreased, MOM said it will continue to step up inspections of workplaces for non-compliance.

MOM’s Guidelines for Returning to the Office

I’m sure many employees are overjoyed to return to the office, where they can once again be given a death stare by their boss every time they take a break to drink some water or breathe.

But is everything really back to normal? What is and isn’t allowed in workplaces?

Here is a list of MOM’s latest guidelines for workplaces:

• Only 75% of employees who are able to work from home should be at the workplace at any point
• Employers should still allow as many employees to work from home as possible
• There’s no limit on the proportion of an employee’s working time that can be spent at the workplace
• Meetings should remain virtual as far as possible, or scheduled after 10:00am to avoid peak-hour travel
• Work times should be staggered so that at least half of the employees arrive at or after 10am
• Employees should not be cross-deployed to more than one worksite, or, if this cannot be avoid, additional safety measures should be implemented
• Any social gathering in or outside the workplace must keep to the limit of eight people
• Employers should avoid organising such events at mealtimes, nor have meals as the main feature

Split-team arrangements, however, will no longer be required.

While some employees may want to head back home to work again, they surely won’t want infections to increase and our chances of travelling for leisure to decrease.

So, continue to practice safe distancing, follow all the coronavirus-related rules, and see a doctor if you’re unwell!

Feature Image: Andrii Yalanskyi / Shutterstock.com