Man charged with going to social gathering at Circuit Road flat during circuit breaker

SINGAPORE — A 38-year-old Singaporean was charged in a district court on Friday (May 8) with contravening a control order during the circuit breaker period by attending a social gathering at Circuit Road.

Francis Soh Seng Chye allegedly attended the gathering at one Lye Bao Ru’s flat with five other people from Lye’s household on April 8, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday.

The gathering lasted about an hour, MOH said in a statement.

The circuit breaker period had begun the day before and, among other things, prohibited individuals from gathering with anyone not living in the same place of residence.

Court documents did not state how Soh knew Lye, who has not been charged yet.

Soh told the court that he intends to plead guilty to his charge under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020.

He will return to court on May 20. If convicted, he faces up to six months’ jail, a fine of up to S$10,000 or both.

The MOH said on Friday that it “will not hesitate to take enforcement action against those who fail to comply with the Covid-19 regulations”.

So far, at least four individuals have been dealt with for breaching measures put in place to stem the spread of Covid-19. Most recently, 47-year-old Chong Chun Wah was jailed four weeks on Wednesday for breaching his stay-home notice after returning from Batam.

Last month, a 30-year-old man was charged after allegedly organising an illegal car race involving more than 50 vehicles that breached safe distancing measures. His case is still pending.