Three More Food and Beverage Premises Ordered to Close and Four Outlets Issued Fines for Breaching Safe Management Measures

Three More Food and Beverage Premises Ordered to Close and Four Outlets Issued Fines for Breaching Safe Management Measures

22 September 2020 – Three more Food and Beverage (F&B) outlets have been ordered to close, and four other outlets issued with fines, for breaching Safe Management Measures (SMMs). This is in addition to the enforcement actions taken against 18 F&B outlets as announced on 17 September 2020.

Details of Offences

2 Details of the offences at the three F&B outlets and orders for closure are below:

a.| On 12 September, officers detected a group of 15 individuals inside a restaurant at 39 Hong Kong Street, at 9.10pm. The group had organised a private dinner event and was split across four tables, with intermingling observed. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) issued an order on 17 September 2020 requiring the operator to close the premises from 18 September 2020 for a period of 10 days until 27 September 2020 (both dates inclusive).

b.| On 12 September, the Beer Factory, located at 25 Church Street, was observed to have admitted three groups of patrons that each comprised more than five persons at 9.50pm. URA issued an order on 17 September 2020 requiring the operator of Beer Factory to close the premises from 18 September 2020 for a period of 10 days until 27 September 2020 (both dates inclusive).

c.| On 19 September, officers observed patrons consuming alcohol at10.55pm at two tables in the outdoor refreshment area at Blk 261, Serangoon Central Drive. The alcoholic beverages were sold and served from a drinks outlet at Blk 261, Serangoon Central Drive, #01-27. Under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020, the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited after 10.30pm. The Singapore Food Agency issued an order on 21 September requiring the operator of the drinks outlet at #01-27 to close the premises from 22 September 2020 for a period of 10 days until 1 October 2020 (both dates inclusive).

3 Four other F&B outlets have been fined $1,000 for breaching SMMs such as allowing groups of more than five to be seated together, to intermingle between tables, and seating groups of customers less than 1 metre apart. These outlets are among the seven found to have breached SMMs as part of stepped-up checks at F&B hotspots by government agencies on 16 September 2020.

Additional Inspections on 323 F&B Outlets from 18-20 September 2020

4 From 18 to 20 September 2020, government agencies conducted additional inspections on 323 F&B outlets in known hotspots. Among these, 18 were found to have breached SMMs. The breaches involved groups of more than five seated together or intermingling between tables, seating groups of customers less than 1 metre apart and the serving and consumption of alcohol past 10.30pm (see examples of breaches in Annex). Agencies are reviewing these breaches and the appropriate enforcement actions to be taken, including temporary closure of the outlets and the issuance of fines.

5 F&B operators and premises owners are responsible for implementing SMMs, and should not be requesting Enforcement Officers or Safe Distancing Ambassadors to engage their patrons on SMMs on their behalf. While the majority of F&B operators and premises owners have ensured that SMMs are properly implemented, there remains a minority which continue to breach SMMs. The government will continue to step up enforcement checks at F&B outlets around Singapore toensure that they remain safe spaces for all. We also urge patrons to be socially responsible and observe the SMMs.

6 As stated in the “Advisory for Phase 2 Reopening of Food & Beverage Establishments”, gatherings or groups involving more than five persons in totalare not allowed, even if they are split across multiple tables. F&B operators are also not permitted to accept such reservations. Exceptions can only be made if all members of the group are from the same household. In such cases, the group will need to be seated at multiple tables, with no more than five persons per table, with at least 1 metre spacing between the tables. Establishments can request to verify diners’ claims that they are from the same household, and can reject entry of diners at their discretion.

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