Hawker centre in Bedok Central linked to TB clusters undergoes deep cleaning
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Block 216 Bedok Food Centre & Market is now closed for a cleaning operation and will reopen on May 20.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
SINGAPORE – Businesses at the hawker centre and market in Bedok Central, which were linked to tuberculosis (TB) clusters announced in April, could receive additional relief support if footfall remains low even after the ongoing deep cleaning is completed.
East Coast Town Council commenced a three-day cleaning operation at Block 216 Bedok Food Centre & Market on May 17, which includes the quarterly market washing initially planned for June and an enhanced deep cleaning. The food centre and market will reopen on May 20.
This was one of the three locations where TB infections were likely picked up, as identified by the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA), which arranged a mass screening exercise in early May.
Speaking to the media on May 18 as cleaning was under way, Law Minister Edwin Tong said: “We thought by doing this, it will give both patrons and hawkers a deeper sense of assurance that it is safe to continue to be here, to eat here, to socialise here.”
East Coast Town Council has already been carrying out daily disinfection of the premises as an enhanced measure since CDA’s April 30 announcement.
Of the 3,169 people screened, about 15 per cent – or 473 individuals – tested positive for TB infection. They had to undergo a chest X-ray to determine if they were infectious.
On May 17, East Coast GRC MP Tan Kiat How said on Facebook: “We also expect the follow-up X-ray results to start coming in by mid-week. Based on the current assessments, most are expected to be latent TB cases, while a smaller number may require additional follow-up checks and treatment.”
Mr Tong, who is the anchor minister for East Coast GRC, which the area falls within, said it was natural for residents to feel a little anxious following media reports on the TB cases.
He stressed that CDA said TB is “not virulent enough for it to be contagious when you sit down or you share a table”, noting that people were beginning to understand this.
TB spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes bacteria into the air, with transmission typically requiring prolonged exposure over days or weeks.
Some hawkers and nearby merchants had reported a 60 per cent drop in business in the first few days after news of the TB clusters broke.
Business has remained poor, at around 40 per cent to 50 per cent below previous levels, especially after the screening results were announced, according to the Bedok North Block 216 Food Centre and Market Hawkers’ Association.
Currently, eligible hawkers and merchants in Bedok Central affected by reduced footfall will pay only half of their rent and service and conservancy charges in May.
Law Minister Edwin Tong (in white shirt) spoke with affected hawkers and suppliers of Block 216 Bedok Food Centre & Market on May 18.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
The East Coast GRC MPs will continue to monitor the situation to assess if further financial interventions are needed after the hawker centre has completed its cleaning and reopened, Mr Tong said.
The vendor engaged to carry out the enhanced deep cleaning, which was specially arranged by Mr Tong, uses a “broad-spectrum virucidal disinfectant effective against bacteria, viruses and fungi”, according to East Coast Town Council.
The disinfectant has been independently certified as effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB, and has an elimination rate of more than 99.999 per cent within a minute of contact with the TB bacteria, said the town council.
