Coronavirus: Over 6,000 hawkers don't have to pay table-cleaning, dishwashing fees during circuit breaker period
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A total of 14,000 stallholders are expected to benefit from the three-month rental waiver.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
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SINGAPORE - Following the ban on eating out at hawker centres as part of the circuit breaker measures, more than 6,000 stallholders in 114 hawker centres will not have to pay for table cleaning and centralised dishwashing from Tuesday (April 7) to May 4.
In a statement on Tuesday, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said it will subsidise the fees for these services for the stall owners to support them during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Straits Times understands these measures were in response to feedback from hawkers about the fees.
The agency will also be bringing forward the three-month rental waiver to stallholders in hawker centres managed by NEA or NEA-appointed operators to cover their rent fully from April to May.
Senior Minister of State Amy Khor said: "We will also continue to monitor the situation closely, and do our best to support our hawkers. Singaporeans can also do their part by continuing to make cooked food purchases through food deliveries or take-outs.
"When opting for take-outs, Singapore should bring their own clean containers as this will help to reduce our use of disposable packaging."
An NEA spokesman said that cleaners will not lose their jobs during this period as the agency is subsidising the cost which would otherwise be paid by stallholders. Cleaning contractors will continue to receive service fees for April.
The new subsidies come after the Government on April 3 announced a slate of new measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 here. This included a ban on eating out at dining places, including hawker centres.
For the updated rental waivers, stallholders who received a 50 per cent rental waiver in March, will be able to get a full rental waiver from April to May, and a 50 per cent rental waiver in June, with a minimum waiver of $200 per month.
These waivers are larger than those from a previous announcement in which stallholders would receive a monthly 50 per cent rental waiver from March to June and a monthly 25 per cent waiver from July to October, as part of the Resilience Budget on March 26.
A total of 14,000 stallholders are expected to benefit from the three-month rental waiver.
