Eight food and beverage outlets were ordered to close while 22 outlets and 59 individuals were fined for safe management measures (SMM) breaches, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) said on Aug. 20.

Seven outlets were ordered to close for 10 days, while one has been ordered to close for 20 days for breaching multiple SMMs such as allowing liquor consumption past 10:30pm and failing to ensure a safe distance of at least 1m between groups of customers.

Also, following the implementation of vaccination differentiated safe management measures (VDS) on Aug.10, safe distancing enforcement officers conducted checks on multiple F&B outlets and patrons over the weekend, environment minister Grace Fu said in a Facebook post on Aug. 20.

SMM breaches

A total of 22 F&B outlets were fined between S$1,000 to S$4,000, each for breaching SMMs, such as failing to ensure a safe distance of at least 1m between seated customers.

These include Kallang Wave Mall's Fun Toast, Marina Square's Ya Kun Kaya Toast, and Yoshinoya at NEX.

In addition, 59 individuals were fined between S$300 to S$1,000 for gathering in groups larger than the permitted group size while dining or failing to wear a mask when not eating or drinking.

Vaccination differentiated safe management measures breaches

Safe distancing enforcement officers conducted checks on over 700 F&B premises and 2,000 individuals last weekend.

While most F&B operators were compliant with the vaccination differentiated safe management measures and familiar with the required processes to check patrons' vaccination status and turned away patrons who could not prove that they were fully vaccinated, seven of them had failed to do so.

Also, nine patrons were found to have dined in without a cleared status, most of whom had completed their second dose of the vaccine but did not wait two weeks for the vaccine to take effect.

MSE stated that no patrons were found to have falsified their vaccination status.

"As this was the first week of implementing the VDS, operators and patrons were given allowance to adjust to the new VDS and stern warnings were issued," said MSE.

However, MSE will continue to step up checks to ensure compliance with vaccination differentiated safe management measures at F&B premises, including checks on the vaccination status of patrons dining in.

Starting this weekend, strict enforcement action will be taken against operators and individuals who flout vaccination differentiated safe management measures.

Operators who fail to check the vaccination status of patrons and patrons who make false representations about their vaccination status to dine in at F&B outlets could face fines or imprisonment.

Top image via Singapore Food Agency and Enterprise Singapore.