If there’s one thing we’ve learned during the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s that the coronavirus does not discriminate.
It will infect absolutely anyone regardless of their age, sex, ethnicity, or feelings about pineapple on pizza.
The disease has spread to over 200 countries and infected more than 22 million people.
Needless to say, this virus is pretty damn contagious.Â
It’s so infectious that even sculptures have to take precautionary measures.
Haw Par Villa is Sanitising the Hands of Their Sculptures As They Prepare for a Reopening
In preparation for its reopening, Haw Par Villa is implementing some rather odd safeguards.
As you know, Haw Par Villa, along with many other theme parks in Singapore, have had to shutter due to the coronavirus.
But now that the Covid-19 situation in Singapore is improving, the park, which houses more than 1,000 statues and dioramas, may soon reopen.
Before they do so, however, it’s important to ensure that their residents will be well-protected against the coronavirus when visitors return.
In a post on Facebook, the Chinese theme park shared some amusing pictures of sculptures being offered hand sanitiser before the park reopens.
In the first picture, dubbed the “Chinese Titanic” by one netizen, an elderly lady on a sinking ship is offered some hand sanitiser, because even when you’re about to drown in the next 5 minutes, it’s always good to be clean.
Several other residents received some much needed hand sanitiser as well, including what looks like a sumo wrestler.
They also offered sanitiser to sculptures that didn’t even have hands, like this… uh, thing.
In the post, Haw Par Villa urged Singaporeans to sanitise their hands frequently, especially after touching shared surfaces.
“Learn from our resident sculptures doing their best to stay clean”, it said.
Yah, just like influencers: Show on social media and people will follow. Scary influencers, though.
A Little History
Did you know that this little theme park was around before Singapore even attained its independence?
Once known as Tiger Balm Gardens, the park was built in 1937 by Myanmar-born businessman Aw Boon Haw for his brother, Aw Boon Par.
The park was named after the Tiger Balm medical ointment that the siblings’ father had created, according to Visit Singapore.
The theme for the park was inspired by Boon Haw’s deep passion for Chinese culture and mythology.
Boon Haw, who created many of the parks original fixtures, hoped that the park’s depiction of traditional virtues would provide moral guidance to the public.
The park was redeveloped in the 1980s by the Singapore Tourism Board and is now a popular tourist destination and every kid’s nightmare.
It’s most famous for its depiction of the Ten Courts of Hell from Chinese folklore:
In response to a commenter, Haw Par Villa said that a date for its reopening hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it will continue to update fans through its social media pages.
The theme park hasn’t yet commented on whether they will be making their sculptures wear masks when the park reopens, so if you happen to visit their residents, do keep a safe distance of 1 metre.
Would you be jailed for being half-naked in public? Well, the answer will shock you. Seriously. Watch this to the end and you'll understand:
