For the first time in our lives, we finally knew how it felt like to lohei quietly. It’s akin to drinking bubble tea without the pearls, and it certainly felt empty.
But we did that because if we ever mouthed even just one auspicious phrase, NEA officers might parachute down with guns blazing.
So we expected all restaurants in Singapore to be quiet during this year’s CNY, but boy were we wrong.
Restaurant in Tiong Bahru Allowed People to Lohei & Shouted; Got Ordered to Close for 10 Days
Today, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) revealed that some people and businesses haven’t been following the COVID-19 rules during the CNY period.
5 eateries and 31 people were found to have broken COVID-19 restrictions last month.
One of the eateries, Tasty Loong restaurant at the Link Hotel, had apparently allowed customers to “verbalise auspicious sayings followed by toasting”.
In addition, they were also caught failing to minimise physical interaction between staff members and customers on 20 February.
The seafood restaurant has since been ordered to close for 10 days, from 25 February to 6 March.
On the day that they were ordered to close, they put up a Facebook post to clarify their position:
Lest you can’t read, here’s what they’ve written:
Dear Customers,
We regret that Tasty Loong at Link Hotel (Tiong Bahru) will be suspended for 10 days from 25 February to 6 March 2021 for flouting COVID-19 safety measures.
There will be no operation during this suspension but our outlets at ORTO Park (Yishun) are open as usual for dine-in, self-collection, takeaway and delivery.
On one occasion over the weekend, our staff ineffectively dissuade customers from mingling on different tables which is not permissible under current measures.
We are sorry for this lack of conscientious and take full responsibility for this breach.
We are deeply apologetic to customers who are affected by this closure and our team will be in touch shortly with regard to upcoming reservations. Customers who have ordered takeaway items can still pick up at our Orto Park outlets or we could opt for delivery.
Customer safety and comfort remains our top priority and we will work harder to ensure our restaurants adhere to all safety measures at all times.
If you have any concerns or queries with regard to your reservation or order, please feel free to reach us at [email protected], or 9472 6210, 9877 8483 and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
As you can probably tell, they’ve not addressed the issue of verbalising auspicious sayings.
Another eatery that’s ordered to close is Club Peaches at Concorde Shopping Mall as they were found to have engaged hostesses who intermingled with different groups across multiple tables on 26 Feb.
Because it was their second offence (it was previously fined S$1,000 for seating more than five people at a table during Phase 2 and for providing patrons with games on 18 Dec last year), they would be closed for 20 days, from 25 Feb to 18 Mar.
Three other eateries, RedDot BrewHouse at 25A Dempsey Road, Rocky Master at Delfi Orchard and Wine Trade at 41 Cuppage Road, were fined $1,000 each for seating groups of diners less than 1m apart, and for not conducting temperature checks before allowing customers to enter their premises.
31 People Fined for Gathering in Groups of More Than 8
Unless you’ve just landed on Earth from Mars, you’d know there’s a limit of 8 people in a group since 1819 or 1918 or 2020.
Some people decided not to get the memo and faced the music accordingly.
31 people were fined $300 each for gathering in groups of more than 8 at various beaches and parks.
All in all, between 22 Jan and 28 Feb, 572 people and 36 F&B outlets were fined for breaches while 19 outlets were ordered to close.
And MSE has a message for everyone: “We will not hesitate to take firm enforcement action against errant operators and individuals. This includes fines, suspension of operations even for first offences and prosecution for egregious breaches.”
So don’t play play. Remember, we’re still in Phase 7 now.
Reader Bao: It’s actually Phase 3
Oh, is it? Sorry ah, let me correct my sentence.
Remember, we’re still in Phase 3 now even if it feels like Phase 7.
Featured Image: Singapore Tourism Board
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