102 Individuals and 12 Food and Beverage Premises Penalised for Breaching Safe Management Measures; Continued Crowd Management Measures in Chinatown

102 Individuals and 12 Food and Beverage Premises Penalised for Breaching Safe Management Measures; Continued Crowd Management Measures in Chinatown

As part of stepped-up inspections to ensure compliance with Safe Management Measures (SMMs) during the Chinese New Year period, government agencies have continued to conduct enhanced checks on food and beverage (F&B) premises, malls and other public spaces over the past week. Six F&B outlets have been ordered to close, while five outlets and 29 individuals were fined for breaching SMMs. A total of 73 individuals were also issued fines for breaching SMMs at parks and beaches.

Six F&B outlets ordered to close; 29 Individuals fined

2 Details of the offences committed at the F&B outlets, and the orders for closure are as follows (photos in Annex A):

a. Ah Yat Seafood Restaurant (200 Turf Club Road) was found to have allowed a company dinner comprising 65 people to take place in its restaurant on 6 February 2021. The group was seated across nine tables. The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has issued an order requiring the operator to close the premises for 10 days from 10 February to 19 February 2021 (both dates inclusive).

b. East Treasure Chinese Restaurant (3B River Valley Road, #01-16) was found to have accepted a group of 16 diners on 29 January 2021. The group was seated across two tables. Investigations revealed that the gathering was a dinner organised by a company for its employees.The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has issued an order requiring the operator to close the premises for 10 days from 10 February to 19 February 2021 (both dates inclusive). The company and 16 diners involved will be issued fines of $1,000 and $300 (each) respectively.

c. Crystal Jade Jiang Nan (VivoCity, #01-52) was found to have accepted a booking for 16 diners from different households and seated them across two tables on 6 February 2021. Enterprise Singapore has issued an order requiring the operator to close the premises for 10 days from 10 February to 19 February 2021 (both dates inclusive). Investigations are continuing.

d. Ding Garden (191B New Bridge Road) was found to have accepted a booking for 13 diners from different households and seated them across three tables on 5 February 2021, when they arrived together. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has issued an order requiring the operator to close the premises for 10 days from 6 February to 15 February 2021 (both dates inclusive). The 13 diners involved were fined $300 each for gathering in a group larger than eight.

e. Wangzi Music Restaurant (199 New Bridge Road) was found to have allowed diners to consume alcohol at 2:30am on 6 February 2021. STB has issued an order requiring the operator to close the premises for 20 days from 6 February to 25 February 2021 (both dates inclusive).

f. Zam Zam (697-699 North Bridge Road) was found to have seated different groups of diners less than 1 metre apart on 5 February 2021. The outlet had two previous offences that occurred on 22 May and 19 December 2020, for which the outlet was fined $1,000 and $2,000 respectively. URA has issued an order requiring the operator to close the premises for 10 days from 9 February to 18 February 2021 (both dates inclusive).

F&B operator to be charged in Court

3 STB has filed a Magistrate's Complaint on 20 January 2021 against Banana Leaf Apolo Pte. Ltd. for multiple breaches under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020 at its restaurant located at 48 Serangoon Road.

4 The F&B operator will be charged in Court on 17 February 2021 for: a) failing to ensure that any gathering of individuals in its premises did not exceed the maximum permissible group size; b) failing to ensure at least 1 metre safe distancing between seated customers; c) providing a self-service buffet of food for consumption; and d) allowing customers to make speeches and play a video recording in its premises.

Fines issued to five F&B outlets

5 Four F&B outlets were fined $1,000 each and one outlet was fined $2,000 for repeat offences of seating groups of diners less than 1 metre apart (see Annex B).

Enforcement against SMM breaches by 73 individuals at parks and beaches

6 A total of 73 individuals were fined $300 each for breaching SMMs on 6 and 7 February 2021 in parks and beaches managed by the National Parks Board (NParks). These breaches include gathering in groups of more than eight people and intermingling between groups. In Changi Beach Park alone, 39 individuals were fined, including 17 who were caught gathering in one group.

Continued crowd management measures and advisory for festive period

7 There have been heavier crowds over the past weekends in Chinatown. STB, together with relevant agencies and community partners such as the Chinatown Business Association and Chinatown Festivals Organising Committee, has implemented additional measures from 5 February 2021 to better manage the crowds. These measures include not turning on the Chinatown Chinese New Year street light-up from 5 to 7 February and deploying more Safe Distancing Ambassadors (SDAs) and Enforcement Officers (EOs) on the ground. Since 5 February, there has been an estimated 20 per cent reduction in crowd size compared to the week before. STB will continue to work with the relevant agencies to monitor the situation in Chinatown, and will adjust measures accordingly.

8 Around 3,000 SDAs and EOs are deployed daily to enforce Safe Distancing Measures (SDMs) and SMMs at various premises and public spaces, with more being deployed during peak hours, weekends and in hotspots. 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.

9 We strongly urge members of the public to plan visits to Chinatown and other potentially crowded areas such as shopping malls, F&B outlets, markets, supermarkets and parks, during off peak hours. This will help mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission during the festive period and keep us all safe.

10 We would also like to remind members of the public that households are limited to eight unique visitors a day. Individuals should also limit themselves to visiting at most two other households per day. For the tossing of yusheng, masks must be worn and the lo hei should be done without any verbalisation of the auspicious phrases or toasting.

11 Multiple table bookings at F&B premises for groups larger than eight persons are also strictly prohibited, unless the diners are from the same household. Intermingling across different tables is not allowed. We strongly advise F&B operators to double-check the reservations they have already received to ensure that the bookings are in order. We also urge diners to not try to circumvent the rules, for the sake of their loved ones and the well-being of the community. We will not hesitate to take firm enforcement action. Let us be socially responsible in observing all these measures to prevent a resurgence in community transmission.

Annex B

F&B Outlets Fined for Breaches of Safe Management Measures

1. Chuan Garden, 1 Pagoda Street

2. Eating House, 34 Upper Cross Street #01-170 (second offence)

3. Eating House, 26 Jalan Membina #01-10

4. Kim's Family Food Korea Restaurant, 177 Telok Ayer Street

5. Sichuan Restaurant, 72 Pagoda Street