As clampdowns on businesses and individuals breaching safe distancing measures continue, shopping malls are no exception to scrutiny.
Entry restrictions may be imposed on malls that face crowd management issues even as more visitors are allowed in under phase three of Singapore's reopening, the authorities said.
The restrictions may be similar to the "odd-even" weekend entry in force at Peninsula Plaza and Lucky Plaza since Aug 29.
Under these guidelines, patrons can visit the malls only on odd or even dates according to whether the last digit of their NRIC/FIN number is odd or even.
The restrictions remain in place even though phase three has eased the capacity limit for malls from 10 sq m to 8 sq m per person since Dec 28.
When announcing the measures in August last year, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Enterprise Singapore (ESG) said the two shopping centres attracted larger crowds and longer queues to enter them over a sustained period, especially on weekends, compared with other malls.
Peninsula Plaza and Lucky Plaza are especially popular with Myanmar and Filipino domestic workers, respectively, and many visit to meet friends and buy products from home on Sundays - a common day off for these workers.
But owners of businesses reliant on this niche clientele said they were struggling to make ends meet, with some pointing out that they had failed to break even for months.
Ms Jhen Tamayao, 49, who runs a business selling Filipino beauty and food products at Lucky Plaza, said her Sunday takings are now a mere $300, compared with about $1,500 to $2,000 before Covid-19.
While crowds are thin at Peninsula Plaza, foreign workers still gather outside the building, creating congestion, the mall's management told The Straits Times.
Ms Toe Tinzar Oo, 41, who runs Myanmar Khit, a convenience shop at Peninsula Plaza, said she felt the restrictions were impractical as large crowds continued to gather outside the mall on Sundays, thus not mitigating the risk of transmission.
She added that she believed the mall was capable of taking in more visitors on weekends while enforcing safe distancing measures, and urged the authorities to lift restrictions that had "caused great distress to the shop owners who have suffered immeasurable losses".
Mr Chong K.S., 60, owner of eyewear shop Systems Optics at the same mall, said that while he understood the need for restrictions on Sundays, he felt measures could be lifted on Saturdays, which have typically seen fewer patrons at the mall than on weekdays even before restrictions were implemented.
Lucky Plaza shop owners, who previously spoke to ST about the restrictions in September, said last week that they were at their wits' end.
Appeals for the restrictions to be eased - including a paper petition signed by 167 shopkeepers - were either rejected or unanswered by the authorities, said Mr Ho Chee Yew, 45, who runs an eatery.
STB and ESG said they will continue to monitor and review safe management measures at the two malls.
The vast majority of businesses there have complied with the measures, they added.
"The health and safety of shoppers and mall tenants remain a key priority, and STB and ESG will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action for non-compliance, which may include fines, closure of business or prosecution," said the two agencies, while emphasising that the current restrictions have kept businesses open.
However, with both agencies yet to commit to a date when restrictions will be eased, remaining open may not be feasible for businesses that have not broken even for months.
Said Ms Toe Tinzar Oo: "We are trying to find a way to survive. We also know the risks of Covid-19 and nobody wants to get it, but without income, how will we survive?"
