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SINGAPORE: Seoul Garden closed its Tampines Mall store on Friday (November 27) after authorities announced that a man who tested positive for COVID-19 dined there last week with 12 family members.
The 32-year-old Singaporean and his family occupied three tables at the restaurant on November 21, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Thursday, adding there was a mix between the groups.
READ: Some diners are still breaking COVID-19 rules, but F&B operators say the situation has improved
The man tested positive for COVID-19 on November 25, becoming Singapore’s first community infection in more than two weeks.
“(We have) closed our Tampines Mall store for a NEA approved and specialized professional cleaning company to clean and disinfect,” Seoul Garden Group CEO Garry Lam said in a statement on Friday.
“Every effort has been made to assure our customers that the restaurant is safe for dinner and to offer them peace of mind when we reopen tomorrow.”
Mr. Lam added that they were informed of the COVID-19 case on Thursday night.
“It has been six days since the person visited the point of sale. As a precautionary measure, we have arranged for the crew to be examined,” he said.
READ: New community case of COVID-19 dined with 12 family members in Seoul Garden, ongoing investigations
READ: New Community COVID-19 Case After 15 Days Shows Virus Still ‘Lurking’ In Community – Experts
Responding to the CNA’s questions about whether the family could dine at multiple tables because they were from the same household, and whether employees were trained to handle reservations or walk-ins for large groups, Lam said: “Our restaurants are not allowed entry to groups of more than five people “.
Exit from the Tampines Mall in Seoul Garden.
When asked about the safe management measures in place to ensure that groups do not mix at tables, Mr. Lam pointed to the statement issued.
“We would like to assure our clients that we have made every effort to observe and implement the Safe Dining and Safe Distancing measures established by Enterprise Singapore (ESG), Housing & Development Board (HDB), Singapore Food Agency (SFA), Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), for F&B establishments, “the statement said.
“These measures include table and seating management of 5 or fewer, queue and crowd management, contact tracking, and cleaning and hygiene practices,” he added.
“Since we are located in a shopping center, the temperature of all visitors is scanned when they enter the shopping center.”
On Thursday, the Health Ministry said investigations are underway to assess whether safe management measures were violated.
Close contacts of the community case have been identified, isolated and quarantined, the ministry added.
Tests will be performed at the beginning and end of your quarantine period, and serological tests will also be performed on your household and family contacts to determine if you might have been infected by them.
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