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SINGAPORE – Indian restaurant chain Banana Leaf Apolo will be indicted in court next week for violating multiple safe management measures, including a self-service buffet at its Little India Arcade store.
The restaurant chain will be charged in court on February 17 for failing to ensure that the gathering of people in its facilities did not exceed the maximum allowed group size, for failing to impose at least 1 meter of safe distance between seated customers, to provide a self-service food buffet for consumption, and to allow customers to make speeches and play a video recording in the establishment.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) filed a Magistrate’s Complaint on January 20 against Banana Leaf Apollo for multiple infractions under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020.
This came as the authorities stepped up inspections of food and beverage outlets, shopping malls and other public spaces over the past week to ensure compliance with safe management measures during the Chinese New Year period.
The ministry said 102 people and 12 F&B locations were penalized for violations during the week.
Among these, six F&B establishments were ordered to close, while five establishments and 29 people were fined for violating safe management measures, the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment (MSE) said in a press release on Wednesday (10 February).
A total of 73 people were also fined for violating Covid-19 regulations in parks and beaches.
As a result of the intensified enforcement, the crowd size in Chinatown has also shrunk by about 20 percent compared to the previous week, as improved crowd control measures began last Friday, the ministry added.
Food and drink establishments ordered to close included the Ah Yat seafood restaurant at 200 Turf Club Road, which allowed a 65-person company dinner at its restaurant on February 6. The guests sat at nine tables.
The East Treasure Chinese restaurant on River Valley Road accepted a group of 16 diners on January 29, who were seated at two tables. Investigations revealed that the meeting was a dinner hosted by a company for its employees. Both the company and 16 diners will be fined $ 1,000 and $ 300 each, respectively.
VivoCity’s Crystal Jade Jiang Nan accepted a reservation for 16 diners from different households and seated them at two tables on February 6. Investigations are ongoing.
These three restaurants will be closed for 10 days from Wednesday through February 19.
Ding Garden on New Bridge Road, which allowed 13 diners from different households to be seated at three tables on Feb.5, closed Feb.6-15. The 13 diners, who arrived together, were fined $ 300 each for gathering in a larger group of eight.
The Wangzi Music Restaurant on New Bridge Road allowed diners to consume alcohol at 2.30am on February 6. It was ordered to close for 20 days from February 6 to 25.
Zam Zam on North Bridge Road seated different groups of diners less than 1 meter apart on February 5. The establishment had committed two previous crimes in May and December of last year and was fined $ 1,000 and $ 2,000 respectively. Due to its February breach, the restaurant has to close from February 9 to 18.
Four other F&B establishments were fined $ 1,000 each, and one was fined $ 2,000 for repeat offenses in groups of diners less than 1 meter apart.
They are: Chuan Garden at 1 Pagoda Street; Eating House on Upper Cross Street and Jalan Membina; Kim’s Family Food Korea restaurant on Telok Ayer Street; and the Sichuan restaurant at 72 Pagoda Street.
Multi-table reservations at food and beverage establishments for groups of more than eight are strictly prohibited, unless diners are from the same household. Mixing between different tables is not allowed.
Additionally, a total of 73 people were fined $ 300 each for disobeying safe driving measures on February 6 and 7 at parks and beaches. These gaps included meeting in groups of more than eight people and intermingling between groups. In Changi Beach Park alone, 39 people were fined, including 17 who were caught gathered in a group.
As of February 5, improved crowd control measures in Chinatown include failing to turn on Chinatown’s Chinese New Year street lights from February 5-7 and deploying more ambassadors and law enforcement officers who safely distance themselves in the ground.
The STB will continue to work with relevant agencies to monitor the situation in Chinatown and will adjust the measures accordingly.
The MSE urged members of the public to plan visits to Chinatown and other potentially crowded areas, such as shopping malls, food and beverage outlets, markets, supermarkets and parks, outside of peak hours.
“This will help mitigate the risk of Covid-19 transmission during the holiday period and will keep us all safe,” the ministry said.
Currently, households are limited to eight unique visitors per day. Each person should also limit himself to visiting a maximum of two other households per day. To throw yusheng during Chinese New Year, masks must be worn and lo hei must be performed without verbalizing the auspicious phrases or the toast.
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