SINGAPORE – Eight food and beverage outlets were ordered to close, with fines for 26 others and 51 people for breaches of safe management measures during the year-end festive period.
Among the outlets ordered to close are Meltz Resto-Bar at 24 Race Course Road and Club V5 Tycoon in Ming Arcade at 21 Cuscaden Road, said the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) on Wednesday (Jan 6).
On New Year’s Eve, Meltz was found to have committed multiple breaches of safe management measures at 9.25pm.
They included allowing a group of 10 individuals to be seated together at a table, failure to conduct temperature screening for patrons and failure to implement SafeEntry for patrons.
On the same day, Club V5 Tycoon was found to have allowed patrons to consume alcohol at 11.15pm, past the cut-off time for alcohol consumption of 10.30pm.
MSE said the club was allowed to reopen as an F&B establishment – with no live entertainment and singing activities allowed – after it obtained a foodshop licence.
The Singapore Tourism Board has issued orders requiring both the operators to close their premises for 10 days from Jan 1 to 10.
In a statement, MSE gave details on three F&B outlets – Club Lux in Orchard Plaza, Epiphyte at 47 Neil Road and TCC in International Building at 360 Orchard Road – that were fined $1,000 each. They had committed offences such as seating groups of patrons less than 1m apart, failing to ensure a 1m distance between customers in a queue and providing games to patrons despite not being an amusement centre.
The ministry also said 15 of the people who were fined had gathered and sat in groups larger than the permitted group size in phases two and three at F&B outlets – five and eight respectively. They were fined $300 each.
MSE said while Singapore has progressed to phase three of its reopening, there remains local transmission of Covid-19 in the community.
It added: “Businesses and members of the public must continue to adhere to safe management measures to keep community transmission low.
“We urge everyone to remain socially responsible by keeping group sizes small, and wearing a mask at all times at F&B premises, unless drinking or eating. This will help to safeguard public health, while allowing businesses to remain open.
“The Government will not hesitate to take strong enforcement action against errant operators and individuals who breach safe management measures.”
