• Among the three outlets that were ordered to close, one had served beer in teapots
• Another had seated eight customers together at a “long table”
• Seven more F&B outlets were found to have breached safe management measures 
• MSE warned that the Government will continue to step up enforcement checks at F&B outlets

SINGAPORE — In more instances of food-and-beverage (F&B) outlets ignoring rules set in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19, three have been ordered to close by the authorities while another 15 were fined for breaching safe management measures.

They were among the 23 outlets that were found to have breached the safe management measures as part of stepped-up checks by various government agencies last weekend.

Another seven F&B outlets were found to have breached the authorities’ safe management measures when government agencies conducted more inspections on Wednesday (Sept 16) at “known hot spots”.

In a press release on Thursday, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) said that the 15 F&B outlets were fined because of violations such as allowing groups of more than five people to be seated together and to intermingle between tables of customers.

Groups of patrons were also seated less than 1m apart, the authorities found.

Ten of those outlets were fined S$1,000 each while the remaining five were fined S$2,000 each for repeat offences.

Among the three outlets that were ordered to close, one had served beer in teapots while another had seated eight customers together at a “long table”. The last had accepted a booking of 10 people and placed them in a private dining room.

F&B PLACES ORDERED TO CLOSE

• Jiang Hu Xia Ke restaurant at Orchard Plaza

MSE said that officers had arrived at the restaurant at 11pm last Saturday and observed 13 customers who were pouring drinks from metal teapots to consume at their tables.

Investigations by the officers revealed that the teapots contained beer and the restaurant supervisor “admitted to concealing alcoholic consumption using the teapots”.

The sale and consumption of alcohol after 10.30pm is prohibited under Covid-19 laws.

MSE noted that bottles of beer sold by the restaurant were also hidden at the bottom of the fridge storing drinks.

The restaurant was ordered by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on Sept 15 to close from Sept 16 to 25, a period of 10 days, MSE said.

• 96 Food Fusion & Bar at 2 Venture Drive

Officers arrived at this outlet in Jurong East last Saturday at 9pm and observed eight customers who were seated together and intermingling at a long table.

It was ordered to close by the Singapore Food Agency from Sept 17 to 26, a period of 10 days, MSE said.

• Frog Meat Fish Head restaurant at 5 Mosque Street

MSE said that the restaurant had accepted a booking of 10 customers last Sunday and seated them at two tables inside a private dining room.

“This was observed by officers when they arrived at around 10pm,” the ministry said.

“When asked, its staff claimed that the people at the two tables did not know one another. Upon further questioning, the patrons admitted that they were colleagues.”

The restaurant was ordered by STB to close from Sept 17 to 26, a period of 10 days, MSE said.

ENFORCEMENTS AT ‘KNOWN HOT SPOTS’

MSE said that government agencies stepped up checks and inspected 57 F&B outlets in “known hot spots” on Wednesday.

Seven were found to have ignored safe management measures, such as seating groups of more than five customers together, letting customers intermingle between tables, and seating groups of people less than 1m apart as well as serving and letting customers consume alcohol after 10.30pm.

“Agencies are reviewing these breaches and the appropriate enforcement actions to be taken, including temporary closure of the outlets and the issuance of fines,” MSE said.

Commenting on the issue on her Facebook page, Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, said that the “errant actions of a few can jeopardise our collective efforts to keep our communities safe from Covid-19”.

“That is why we have been stepping up our enforcement checks on F&B outlets,” she said.

Adding that it is “regrettable” that the authorities continue to find F&B outlets flouting these rules, Ms Fu said that these actions “are placing Singaporeans at risk”.

“A resurgence of Covid-19 infections would set us back in the progress that we have made in transiting towards a new normal,” Ms Fu warned.

Reiterating the danger, MSE said that the coronavirus remains a grave threat.

“While the majority of F&B operators and premise owners have ensured that safe management measures are properly implemented, there remains a minority that continue to breach (them),” MSE said.

The ministry warned that the Government will continue to step up enforcement checks at F&B outlets around Singapore to ensure that they remain safe spaces for all.

“We would like to remind F&B operators and premises owners that breaches of safe management measures constitute a serious offence, and we will not hesitate to take firm enforcement action,” MSE said.