Fortune tellers of Waterloo Street face different future due to Covid-19 curbs
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Among the 41 street vendors who currently operate in the pedestrianised mall in Waterloo Street are 19 fortune tellers, two of whom have decided not to apply for new licences that will be required next year as part of safe distancing measures. The remaining vendors will progressively move into designated lots from Jan 4 next year.
ZAOBAO FILE PHOTO
For decades, they have offered customers a tantalising glimpse of what life may have in store.
Now, the fortune tellers of Waterloo Street face a different future due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Two of the 19 who operate in the area have decided not to apply for new licences costing $48.15 a month that will be required next year as part of safe distancing measures. Their decision was partly down to the fact that they are in their 70s and 80s.
They are among 41 vendors in Waterloo Street who face new licensing conditions imposed by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), which wants them to start working in designated lots.
At present, the vendors are allowed to choose where to operate in the pedestrianised mall in front of the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple and Sri Krishnan Temple.
A balloting exercise to allocate the lots on Monday was attended by the remaining 39 vendors.
The street enhancement exercise requires vendors to obtain a temporary occupation licence. They will progressively move into the 2m by 1.5m lots from Jan 4 next year, and the fee will be payable from June 1.
The SLA said that vendors who face financial difficulties can approach it for assistance.
Besides the fortune tellers, there are 19 flower vendors, two reflexologists and one cobbler currently plying their trades from makeshift stalls.
The SLA said the changes would allow safe distancing between the vendors, give fire engines clear access to the area and provide more room for pedestrians.
At the moment, the often-busy mall is filled with makeshift stalls and discarded boxes that obstruct the pathways.
"These are not conducive to both the street vendors and visitors to the area, and are potential fire hazards," said the authority in a joint statement with the Singapore Food Agency and Urban Redevelopment Authority on Dec 8.
<p>ST20201208_202090074541/Joel Chan/ Yuen Sin/yswaterloo09<br/><br/>Flower stall owners outside Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple on Tuesday, Dec. 8 2020. </p>
PHOTO: ST
Enhancement works to draw up the lots will be carried out in phases.
"To comply with the requisite buffer for fire safety and safe distancing between the stalls, coupled with the limited space along Waterloo Mall, we are unable to expand the size of the lot or place all vendors along Waterloo Mall," said the SLA.
