Police temporarily close various locations in Marina Bay due to full capacity on New Year’s Eve
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SINGAPORE - On Saturday evening, the police closed several locations around the Marina Bay area, due to large crowds at the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown.
In a tweet posted at 8.10pm, the police advised members of the public to avoid Merlion Park, saying it had reached its full capacity.
At 8.50pm, the Crowd@MarinaBay live map, which provides a view of real-time crowd levels and closures around Marina Bay, showed the area was open and very crowded.
The police said in a tweet at 10.25pm that access to Jubilee Bridge, Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza and Fullerton Waterfront, which includes Merlion Park, was closed and advised the public to avoid the areas.
The police also advised the public to make use of the live map which includes walking paths that are updated when areas are closed.
It also has warning icons and advisories relating to closed areas.
Previously, the police said they had expected large crowds to turn up for the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2023 from about 6pm.
About 500,000 revellers were expected to turn up at the Marina Bay area to take part in New Year’s Eve festivities.
Superintendent Ho Li Fang, head of operations at Central Police Division, had said the police would be leveraging technology to complement operations.
