Businesses in the area take a hit

Businesses in Hougang Avenue 8 have taken a hit after a cluster of Covid-19 cases was discovered at the Giant supermarket at Block 683, with seven cases announced on Thursday.

It is just across the road from where a cluster was found in June at Block 506.

Visitors and shop staff at eight Housing Board blocks in the area were made to undergo swab tests then.

While the Block 506 cluster which had 13 cases was announced as closed on July 1, Madam Michelle Koh said foot traffic has fallen significantly.

The 58-year-old rents a market stall at Hougang Village near the affected Giant on weekends to sell plants and gardening supplies.

"Nobody dares to go to the market. I had no customers at all," Madam Koh said in Mandarin.

There has been no announcement of mass testing after the supermarket cluster was found.

However, Giant Singapore said the store was closed immediately for deep cleaning on Tuesday, with staff who were identified as close contacts of infected cases placed under quarantine. Other staff who worked at the store in the seven days before Aug 17 were asked to stay home and monitor their health for 14 days.

When The Sunday Times visited Block 683 at 9.45am yesterday, there were people eating at the nearby coffee shop and shopping at the wet market.

Ms Cheng Chin Ngek, 39, who was at the coffee shop, said she was not worried about the crowd, as she is fully vaccinated.

"I think people have already taken precautions and have been vaccinated, so they feel safer."

Mr Chan See Ngo, 81, who operates a Chinese medical supply store at Block 682, said business is down at least 20 per cent. He said in Mandarin: "People have not dared to come out since the pandemic started."

He added that it was more crowded than usual yesterday because residents were shopping for Zhong Yuan Jie (Hungry Ghost Festival), which is today, as families need to perform rites and make food offerings.

Mr Chan said the pandemic has been tough on him and he has decided to close his store, which he has run since 1988, for good.

Ms Chen Kin Yoon, 50, who works at a Chinese food stall at the Block 682 coffee shop, said that business has fallen by at least 30 per cent since the Giant supermarket cluster was detected.

Mr Darryl David, the Ang Mo Kio GRC MP for the ward where the Giant supermarket is located, told ST his team has carried out additional cleaning outside the supermarket and the surrounding public areas, to reassure residents and ensure their safety.

But he has received feedback from shop owners that there is less foot traffic now.

"When something happens at a particular place, people feel afraid and uncertain of visiting those places," he said.

"But based on my interaction with residents and vendors... there's a sense of acceptance that these things happen."

Mr Gerald Giam, the Aljunied GRC MP for the ward where Block 506 is located, said he visited Blocks 501 to 533 on Friday and spoke to residents.

"Most residents are taking the latest developments in their stride, while taking the necessary precautions like getting vaccinated and masking up," he added.