34 People Fined for Not Wearing Masks or Gathering in Chinatown; 11 Businesses Also Fined for Breaking COVID-19 Rules

Recently, Chinatown made internet headlines, and not for good reason.

In case you’re wondering, the picture wasn’t taken in 2019 when we thought Circuit Breaker was just an electrical box in our homes.

It was taken just a few days ago.

Over the past weekend, it was reported that people were rubbing shoulders with each other, as though there’s no infectious virus transmitting within the country.

On the businesses’ side, only one shop was reportedly enforcing the 1-metre safe distancing and  SafeEntry protocol.

Turns out, the STB has been carrying out enforcement actions in the area for some time now.

34 People Fined for Not Wearing Masks or Gathering in Chinatown; 11 Businesses Also Fined for Breaking COVID-19 Rules

According to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), 34 people were fined S$300 each for not wearing masks or gathering in groups of more than 8 since 15 Jan 2021.

In addition, 11 businesses in the area were fined between S$1,000 and S$2,000 for failing to ensure 1-metre safe distancing and allowing groups of more than 8 into their premises.

Since the start of Phase 3, enforcement has been stepped up at tourism businesses and districts, STB says.

Measures include deploying more safe-distancing ambassadors (SDAs) and enforcement officers during peak periods, such as Little India during Deepavali and at Orchard during Christmas.

Additional officers were also deployed to Chinatown since 15 Jan 2021.

The Chinatown Business Association has also deployed additional manpower to help ensure safe management measures and will continue to do so in the “lead up to Chinese New Year”.

STB urges businesses and individuals to follow the measures implemented, such as mask-wearing, keeping a safe-distance of 1-metre, SafeEntry and gathering in groups of not more than eight.

If not, strict enforcement actions will be taken, they warned, and the police will step in for any law-and-order incidents.

More Officers Deployed To Chinatown

After what’s happened over the past weekend, you can be sure that there will be consequences.

And there are.

Enforcement will be stepped up during the Chinese New Year period, especially during peak hours and weekends, said the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE).

Enforcement agencies will also ensure that businesses tighten access control measures to manage crowd levels.

In response to the image of crowds thronging Chinatown, a spokesman for the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) also told TNP that “further measures may be implemented to manage crowding, if required”.

Don’t Go During The Weekends

Given that Chinese New Year is around the corner, it’s only natural to want to head to Chinatown to get some much-needed CNY decorations.

But given the rise in community cases recently, and the sheer number of people heading there, it’s probably not a good idea.

“We strongly urge members of the public to refrain from visiting Chinatown and other potentially crowded areas during peak hours and weekends, and plan their visits during off-peak hours instead”, an MSE spokesman said.

Strict enforcement action will, of course, be taken against individuals and businesses that do not comply with safe management measures.

Experts here are now concerned that if the situation continues, we might just time-travel back to Apr 2020 again.

And nobody wants that, do we?

FeatureD Image: Chinatown Business Association