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KFC fined S$3,000 for violating Covid-19 regulations at Far East Plaza outlet

SINGAPORE — The management of fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was fined S$3,000 on Friday (March 4) for allowing four customers to interact in its Far East Plaza outlet last year, when the prevailing group size at eateries was two.

A Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurant is pictured in Tokyo, Japan.

A Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurant is pictured in Tokyo, Japan.

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SINGAPORE — The management of fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was fined S$3,000 on Friday (March 4) for allowing four customers to interact in its Far East Plaza outlet last year, when the prevailing group size at eateries was two.

A representative of the chain pleaded guilty to one charge of contravening a Covid-19 control order by failing to ensure that the customers “remained in activity cohorts consisting of not more than two individuals”.

District Judge Ng Peng Hong took another similar charge into consideration for sentencing, that of allowing four customers to enter the premises without assessing whether any of them had Covid-19 and had symptoms.

The customers were named in charge sheets as: Muhammad Ariffin Sahdan, Shehzel Selamat, Nyla Muhammad Kamal and Muhammad Hidayat Rahmad.

No other information was given and it is unclear if they have also been prosecuted.

The court heard that the incident happened on July 10 last year. Enforcement officers from the Singapore Tourism Board were outside the KFC outlet when they observed the four customers dining together.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Norman Yew told the court that the four had entered the outlet at 9.45pm and then sat at two adjacent tables while interacting with one another as a “single cohort”,

The court also heard that staff members at the outlet did not pay attention or notice them interacting, and had failed to take all reasonable measures to ensure that all those eating in the outlet were allocated or remained in two-person groups.

KFC was offered out-of-court composition fines of S$1,000 each on three previous occasions, all similarly for breaching Covid-19 regulations, DPP Yew said.

These were in January and June last year. The prosecutor, who sought a S$3,000 fine, said that he was not sure if these were in relation to the same Far East Plaza outlet.

In mitigation, the chain’s representative urged the court to consider a lower fine and said that KFC has “taken steps to ensure it stepped up procedure” since the incident occurred.

In sentencing, District Judge Ng said that the “crowd” — referring to the four customers — was “quite a big” one, and took into account the earlier fines imposed.

KFC could have been fined S$10,000 for flouting Covid-19 regulations. Individuals can be jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$10,000, or punished with both.

Related topics

court Covid-19 Covid-19 regulations breach KFC

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