8 F&B outlets ordered to close for breaching safe management rules

Eight food and beverage (F&B) outlets have been ordered to close, while 22 eateries and 59 people have been fined for flouting Covid-19 safe distancing rules, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) said yesterday.

The eight F&B outlets were ordered to close for between 10 and 20 days for breaching multiple safe management measures.

The breaches included allowing liquor consumption past 10.30pm and failing to ensure a safe distance of at least 1m between groups of customers.

The outlets included the Aloha Poke Bistro and Arteastiq tea house in Jewel Changi Airport.

The 22 eateries were fined between $1,000 and $4,000 each for breaching measures such as failing to ensure a 1m distance between seated customers. These eateries included the Ya Kun Kaya Toast outlets at Marina Square and Lot One.

The 59 people were fined between $300 and $1,000 each for breaches such as gathering in groups larger than the allowed number while dining at eateries, or failing to wear a mask when not eating or drinking.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said safe distancing enforcement officers from several government agencies conducted checks last weekend on more than 700 eateries and 2,000 people to ensure compliance with vaccination-differentiated safe management measures.

During the checks, at least five operators were found to have breached the vaccination-differentiated requirements. They had failed to check the vaccination status of patrons before letting them enter their outlets.

Nine patrons were found to have dined in without a cleared vaccination status - most of them had received the second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, but had not waited the required two weeks for the vaccine to take effect.

As this was the first week of implementing the vaccination-differentiated measures, allowances were made to let operators and patrons adjust to the new measures, and warnings were issued, MSE said in a statement.

No patrons were found to have falsified their vaccination status.

Checks will be stepped up to ensure that vaccination-differentiated requirements at F&B premises are adhered to, said MSE.

"Starting this weekend, strict enforcement action will be taken against operators and individuals who flout (these measures)," the ministry said.

Operators who fail to check patrons' vaccination status before granting them entry could be fined or ordered to close.

Patrons who falsify their vaccination status to dine in at F&B outlets could be fined or jailed, or both.