Since the start of the circuit breaker on April 7, there have been multiple reports of people flouting the rules, despite the penalties that were meted out to offenders.

Frustrated with the number of people who cannot adhere to the rules, a Straits Times forum letter writer, Phillip Tan Fong Lip, proposed that the authorities impose heavier punishments to deter "dangerous" behaviour stemming from people who flout circuit breaker measures.

Some Singaporeans may try to actively catch Covid-19 to gain immunity

In the forum letter, Tan brought up the example of people who try to get infected by Covid-19 by deliberately seeking out those who have tested positive for the virus.

These so-called "Covid-19 parties", which were reportedly held in the U.S., were meant to speed up the process of catching and overcoming the virus.

The idea behind this is not new, as The Guardian reported that in the past, parents have brought children to "pox parties", so that children were deliberately exposed to chicken pox patients in order to allow the children to develop an immunity at an early age.

However, according to the same report, health officials in the U.S.'s Washington state have warned residents against holding such parties, stating that such behaviour is dangerous, and puts people at risk of hospitalisation, or even death.

Washington state's secretary of health John Wiesman also said that it is unknown if people who recover from Covid-19 will suffer from long-term health issues, given that there is still a lot that is unknown about Covid-19.

In his letter, Tan said that it is inevitable that "a minority who behave in ways that are out of the ordinary", referring to these "Covid-19 party" participants, will also exist in Singapore.

People openly challenge the police

Tan also said that he has seen social media posts on various channels, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, showing people openly challenging the police to arrest them for flouting the law.

He said that these people are not afraid of having to pay the "mere sum" of S$300, nor are they deterred by potential jail sentences.

Tan ended his letter by saying that Singapore should not let "a few black sheep" spoil its efforts at curbing the spread of Covid-19, and urged current punishments to be "doubled at least".

Top image from Lectress Pat/FB.