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SINGAPORE: Three more food and beverage establishments were recently ordered to close for violating COVID-19 rules, the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment (MSE) said on Tuesday (September 22).
Four other outlets were fined for disobeying COVID-19 security management measures, MSE added in a press release.
This follows enforcement actions taken against 18 establishments, which the ministry announced on September 17. Three of them were ordered closed, including a restaurant that was told to close after being found serving beer in kettles.
READ: 23 food and drink establishments violate COVID-19 safety rules, including restaurant serving beer in kettles after 11pm
PRIVATE DINNER WITH 15 PAX
Among the latest offenders was a restaurant at 39 Hong Kong Street that hosted a group of 15 people for a private dinner on September 12.
Officers who were on the scene at 9:10 pm watched diners mingle among the four tables, MSE said.
CNA has asked MSE for the name of the establishment, which is not mentioned in its statement.
On the same day, at 9:50 p.m., three groups of customers were seen at the Brewery, each one made up of more than five people. One of the groups in the facility at 25 Church Street was found to have eight people.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority on September 17 ordered the respective operators to close both facilities for 10 days from September 18 to 27.
The Beer Factory supports three groups of more than five people each, with a group consisting of eight people on September 12, 2020 at 9:50 PM. (Photo: URA)
The other establishment ordered to close was a drinks stand at a cafe in Serangoon.
Officers saw several customers consuming alcohol on September 19 at 10.55 p.m. M., After the 10:30 p.m. cut-off time. M. For the sale and consumption of alcohol.
They were drinking at two tables in an outdoor area in Block 261 Serangoon Central Drive.
On September 21, the Singapore Food Agency ordered the beverage booth at # 01-27 to be closed for 10 days from September 22 to October 1.
Customers consume alcohol at 10.55 pm at two tables in the outdoor snack area at Block 261 Serangoon Central Drive on September 19, 2020. (Photo: SFA)
READ: First-time F&B violators will now face enforcement action for disobeying COVID-19 safe management measures – Lawrence Wong
F&B “HOTSPOTS”
The four outlets that were fined S $ 1,000 each had violated COVID-19 safety management measures, such as allowing groups of more than five to sit together, interspersed between tables, and seating different groups less than 1 meter away.
They were among a total of seven outlets that government agencies determined were non-compliant during “intensified checks” on food and beverage “hot spots” by government agencies on September 16.
Customers at two different tables at an F&B establishment in Chinatown are seated less than 1m apart on September 18, 2020 at 7.15pm (Photo: SFA)
Over the weekend of September 18-20, government agencies conducted further inspections at 323 outlets at known access points.
Among these, 18 were found to be in violation of COVID-19 rules.
“The agencies are reviewing these violations and the appropriate enforcement actions that will be taken, including the temporary closure of outlets and the issuance of fines,” MSE said.
An F&B establishment in Clementi does not secure 1 meter between customer groups and has two groups of three people sitting at the same table on the afternoon of September 20, 2020 (Photo: SFA).
The ministry added that facility operators and owners are responsible for the implementation of COVID-19 rules and that they “should not request law enforcement officers or safe distancing ambassadors to involve their clients in the measures. security management on your behalf. “
As there are still “a minority” of outlets that continue to break the rules, “the Government will continue to intensify compliance checks at Singapore’s food and beverage outlets to ensure they remain safe spaces for all,” said MSE. .
“We also urge clients to be socially responsible and observe safety management measures,” he added.
READ: The Ministry of Health investigates if COVID-19 rules were violated after a new family group in 2 households met
As clarified above, exceptions to the limit of five people per group can only be made if all members of the group are from the same household. They would have to be seated at several tables of a maximum of five people, with at least 1 meter between the tables.
And in such cases, “establishments may request to verify diners’ claims that they are from the same household, and may refuse the entry of diners at their discretion,” MSE said.
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