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SINGAPORE – For decades, they have offered clients a tantalizing glimpse of what life can bring.
Now the Waterloo Street fortune tellers face a different future due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Two of the 19 that operate in the area have decided not to apply for new licenses of $ 48.15 per month, which will be required next year as part of the measures to manage safe distancing.
The decision was also due to the fact that they are between 70 and 80 years old.
They are among 41 street vendors facing new license conditions imposed by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), which wants them to start working on designated lots.
At present, they are allowed to choose where to operate in the pedestrian mall in front of Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple and Sri Krishnan Temple.
The remaining 39 suppliers attended a voting exercise to assign the lots on Monday afternoon.
The street improvement exercise requires vendors to obtain a temporary occupancy license. They will be phased out into lots of 2 million by 1.5 million beginning January 4 and the fee will be payable as of June 1. The authority added that providers facing financial difficulties can reach out for help.
There are 19 fortune-tellers, 19 flower vendors, two reflexologists, and a shoemaker currently practicing in makeshift stands.
The SLA said the changes would allow a safe distance between vendors, clear access for fire trucks and provide more space for pedestrians.
At the moment, the mall is often busy and full of makeshift stalls and discarded boxes that clog the roads.
“These are not conducive to both street vendors and visitors to the area, and are potential fire hazards,” the authority said in a joint statement with the Singapore Food Agency and the Urban Redevelopment Authority on December 8.
The improvement works for the drafting of the lots will be carried out in phases.
“To meet the requirement for fire protection and safe distance between stalls, along with the limited space along the Waterloo Mall, we are unable to expand the lot size or place all the vendors along the Waterloo Mall.” added the SLA.
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