Alleged Photos of Infected Vietnamese Social Hostesses Reportedly Leaked By ‘Competitors’

By now, you probably would have known that various KTVs have become the latest COVID-19 cluster, gathering a total of 54 cases so far.

And the main source seems to be from a few Vietnamese social hostesses frequenting these KTV lounges that are currently operating as F&B outlets.

Alleged Photos of Infected Vietnamese Social Hostesses Leaked

On 13 July, photos of at least four Vietnamese women started being circulated on messaging platforms like WeChat and WhatsApp, with captions that implied they were the newest COVID-19 cases linked to the KTV cluster.

The purpose of this circulation was apparently to inform those who had come into contact with these women to get themselves tested for COVID-19. The photos then got put up online with the same message from a KTV lounge manager.

An interview conducted by Lianhe Wanbao with Meiji, a mama-san in charge of women working in KTV lounges and club lounges, revealed that the four Vietnamese women were indeed new COVID-19 cases, but clarified that they were not managed by her.

She shared that she only met the four women when she transferred over to Empress KTV a week ago and that the social hostesses usually worked at different KTV lounges to accompany guests.

Allegedly Leaked by ‘Competitors’

It seems that the photos were allegedly shared by ‘competitors’ of the four social hostesses from other KTV lounges, according to Meiji, but she wasn’t sure if they were truly trying to raise awareness or simply trying to put the four women down in light of their rivalry.

Despite this, Meiji urged the public to stop spreading the photos of the women as they were already suffering from COVID-19.

Closure of KTV lounges in Singapore

On 11 July, the police arrived at Empress KTV at around 6pm and told Meiji and her colleagues that there was a confirmed COVID-19 case from the lounge. The lounge was then ordered to cease operations temporarily and all employees had to be tested for the illness.

Other KTV lounges that have since ceased operations temporarily as well for deep cleaning and investigation are Supreme KTV, Club Dolce, WU Bistro, and Club De Zara.

Ong Ye Kung, our Health Minister, has also urged those who have recently visited KTV lounges or come into contact with any hostesses in the last two weeks to get tested. He reassured the public that the testing process will be confidential, and the priority should be getting themselves tested.

If one is still uncomfortable about coming forward, one should at least stay at home, isolate themselves from their family members, and monitor their health for the next 14 days. It would be best if they could get their family members to purchase some Antigen Rapid Test (ART) self-test kits as well so that they can test themselves while in isolation.

Don’t just do the testing for yourself, people. Do it for your loved ones as well. Stay safe, everyone.

Featured Image: Facebook; Facebook (Supreme KTV)