Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on the Deployment of Safe Distancing Ambassadors by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Written Reply by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, to Parliamentary Question on the Deployment of Safe Distancing Ambassadors

Mr Pritam Singh : To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how many Safe Distancing Ambassadors (SDAs) have been deployed across Singapore since April 2020 on a monthly basis, broken down by gender; (b) of these, how many are between 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60, 60-70 and 70-80 years of age respectively; (c) whether SDAs are deployed to former nightlife establishments including KTV lounges that had pivoted to F&B outlets after March 2020; and (d) how extensive are the operations at these pivoted establishments.

Answer:

1. Around 3,000 Safe Distancing Ambassadors (SDAs) and Enforcement Officers (EOs), currently from 17 government agencies, have been deployed daily since April 2020 to remind members of the public and premises owners to comply with Safe Management Measures (SMMs). We do not have ready information on the gender and age bands of SDAs, as they are engaged by multiple agencies for a range of safe distancing work.

2. SDAs do not have enforcement powers, and are not typically deployed to undertake checks on nightlife establishments which have pivoted to F&B operations. Checks on pivoted nightlife establishments are instead undertaken by Enforcement Officers (EOs) and Auxiliary Police Officers, who are authorised to take enforcement action. The number of EOs deployed to undertake enforcement checks at pivoted nightlife establishments will vary based on the ground situation.

3. Details on the enforcement operations conducted at the pivoted nightlife establishments, including joint operations by the Police and EOs, were provided by Minister of Home Affairs at the Parliament Sitting on 26 Jul 2021.