A total of 21 food and beverage (F&B) outlets and 56 individuals faced enforcement action after breaching Covid-19 regulations, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) said on Jul. 9.

Stepped-up enforcement checks

MSE said that "stepped-up enforcement checks" had been carried out over the past week, and would continue over the coming weeks as restrictions on dining in and other activities are further eased.

Of the 21 F&B outlets, eight were ordered to close, while 13 were fined.

The eight outlets had committed "multiple failures" such as:

• Not ensuring patrons from different tables were seated at least one metre apart
• Permitting intermingling between groups
• Allowing groups of more than two individuals from different households to be seated across multiple tables

Here are the premises that were ordered to close:

1. Nando’s (Plaza Singapura, #04 -10/11, 68 Orchard Road): closed for 10 days from Jul. 8 to Jul. 17.
2. Carl’s Jr (Jurong Point Shopping Centre 1, Jurong West Central 2, #02-42): Closed for 10 days from Jul. 9 to Jul. 18.
3. Food Junction (200 Victoria Street #03-30, Bugis Junction): Closed for 10 days from Jul. 10 to Jul. 19.
4. Club Diamond (Oriental Plaza, 291 New Bridge Road, #02-13/14/15/16): Closed for 10 days from Jul. 3 to Jul. 12.
5. 3 Kings Pub (Lucky Plaza, 304 Orchard Road, #06-37): Closed for 10 days from Jul. 3 to Jul. 12.
6. Grand Shanghai (King’s Centre, 390 Havelock Road): Closed for 10 days from Jul. 3 to Jul. 12.
7. Sakunthala’s Restaurant (149/151 Dunlop Street): Closed for 10 days from Jul. 2 to Jul. 11.
8. The Bravery (50 Amoy Street): Closed for 10 days from Jul. 1 to Jul. 10.

Meanwhile, another 13 outlets were fined S$1,000 each for breaches such as seating groups of customers less than one metre apart and playing recorded music.

Patrons, staff fined

20 individuals were also fined for gathering in groups larger than two while dining at F&B outlets. Three staff from a food establishment were also fined S$300 for failing to wear masks, MSE said.

Dining in resumed from Jun. 21 with tighter restrictions

Dining in had previously been restricted during Phase 2 (Heightened Alert), but resumed from Jun. 21 with tightened restrictions such as a limit of two diners per group.

Since Jun. 21, there has also been a prohibition on recorded music in F&B establishments, in a tightening of the previous stipulation that recorded music could only be played softly in the background.

Co-chair of the Multi-Ministry Task Force Lawrence Wong previously explained that this was to reduce the risk of droplets spreading from loud conversations between patrons.

F&B outlets that are first-time offenders may be closed

MSE said in its Jul. 9 statement that even as restrictions are further eased from Jul. 12, to allow larger groups of up to five in F&B establishments, dining in "continues to be a higher-risk activity."

Therefore, MSE said, agencies will continue to take enforcement action.

This includes fines of S$300 for individual offenders, which will be higher for repeat offenders, while operators face closures, even for first offences.

Breaches at parks and beaches

MSE also said that 33 individuals were fined for breaching safe management measures from Jul. 2 to 4 in parks and beaches managed by the National Parks Board (NParks).

In addition, over 900 advisories were issued to individuals.

The breaches included:

• Not wearing masks when not engaging in strenuous exercises
• Gathering in groups larger than permitted

Top image via MSE