Police Raided 154 Establishments, Including Illegal KTV Outlets, in a Week & Are Investigating 84 People

KTV visitors and operators are not Singapore’s favourite groups of people at the moment.

Just as the country was about to shift to its endemic phase, news emerged of a fast-growing cluster among people who worked at or visited KTV lounges.

Many people chided the visitors for flouting safe distancing rules just for some satay.

Now, no one would dare go near a KTV lounge and face the wrath of even more Singaporeans, right?

Right?

Police Raided 154 Establishments, Including Illegal KTV Outlets, in a Week & Are Investigating 84 People

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) conducted raids at 154 establishments between 26 July and 1 Aug, including 76 massage establishments and 78 public entertainment outlets.

What they found, if you’ve been following the news since 2020, may not surprise you.

50 people in these establishments were allegedly breaching COVID-19 regulations and are now being investigated.

SPF described the entertainment establishments as “KTV-like” and raided unlicensed outlets at North Bridge Road, Outram Road, Kallang Avenue, Ubi Road 1, and Geylang Lorong 13.

This is why four of the 50 being investigated – men aged between 24 and 46 – are also being investigated for allegedly managing unlicensed public entertainment outlets.

In addition, 15 of the massage establishments raided allegedly committed several breaches under the Massage Establishments Act and the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020.

In two premises, for instance, both customers and masseuses were not wearing masks.

Consequently, the two establishments have been ordered to close for 10 days and was fined $1,000. Errant customers will also be fined $300 for breaching safe management measures.

In total, 34 people who allegedly flouted COVID-19 rules at massage establishments are being probed by the authorities.

These include customers, masseuses, and operators.

27 KTVs Operating as F&B Establishments Checked; 11 Allegedly Breached Safe Management Measures, 10 Women Deported

In an earlier operation last month from 13 July to 15 July, the authorities conducted checks on 27 KTV outlets operating as F&B establishments.

The nationwide operation found that 11 of the 27 outlets may have committed breaches of safe management measures.

What’s more, 29 women were arrested for offences under the Women’s Charter, the Immigration Act, and the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

10 of them who were found to be hostesses were deported as they were deemed to be “undesirable immigrants”.

Nightlife Establishments Must Pass Inspection Before Reopening

As you may know, all KTV outlets operating as F&B establishments were ordered to suspend operations for two weeks following the emergence of the KTV cluster.

Even though two weeks have passed, these outlets won’t be allowed to reopen immediately.

First, they must pass inspections and receive a conditional permit from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).

They will also be required to implement more safe management measures on top of existing ones for the F&B sector.

Read Also:

• 3 Men Charged for Operating KTV Outlets During COVID-19 Period
• Ong Ye Kung: KTV Visitors Not the Reason for New COVID-19 Restrictions