Loose Netting for Social Distancing at Chinatown Complex Food Centre Causes Seniors to Fall

Safe distancing measures, as the adjective suggests, are supposed to keep people safe. 

Implemented since COVID-19 start running riot around the country, it helps to keep residents distanced to reduce their risk of spreading the coronavirus to one another.

This is why you’ve probably seen some tables and seats at coffee shops and hawker centres demarcated in some way to prevent patrons from sitting too close to each other.

Unfortunately, instead of keeping them safe, these markings ended up causing some seniors to get injured.

Loose Netting for Social Distancing at Chinatown Complex Food Centre Causes Seniors to Fall

Some seniors have been tripping over loose netting at Chinatown Complex’s food centre, causing them to fall.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, an elderly man who was at the eatery tripped over the netting a couple of days ago, and had to be sent to the hospital as he developed breathing difficulties.

One stallholder said that someone trips over the loose netting almost every day. Most of the diners at the food centre are older, he said, and thus more susceptible to falls.

In the process of falling over, some unfortunate patrons will even drop their crockery all over the floor.

The most vulnerable to this loose netting are those that have to use crutches while they carry their plates and bowls, as they don’t pay as much attention to their feet.

Netting Isn’t Secured Properly 

Hawkers at the food centre told the Lianhe Zaobao that the netting is tied around the table’s leg and stretched over the seats next to it.

The problem with this method is that the netting often comes loose and lands on the floor.

Unsuspecting patrons may inadvertently stick their foot into one of the holes when walking, and end up falling when they try to move.

Here’s a hawker demonstrating how one could get stuck in the netting and trip over it.

Netting Has Been Replaced

Thankfully, some of the nettings have reportedly been replaced.

One stallholder told Lianhe Zaobao that the netting in one of the seating areas had come loose and was replaced last week.

A reporter also noted that the netting in other areas had been replaced.

Diners hoping to return to the eatery will have to wait a few days, however, as the shopping mall was recently closed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) after a large cluster of 66 cases was detected there.

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Featured Image: Facebook (Shin Min Daily News 新明日报)