My dear reader, if you’re reading this in 2022 and wondered whether the authorities have gone insane today, don’t worry. Just Google COVID-19 Circuit Breaker 2020 and you’d understand how the world had been very different for a short period of time (hopefully).
And if you’re reading this during the Circuit Breaker period, then let this be a warning to you: Ah Gong seems to have eyes and ears all over the country.
Because a man’s been charged for…going for dinner.
Man Charged for Going for Dinner With Another Person in an HDB Flat
Today, a 38-year-old man, Francis Soh Seng Chye, has been charged for breaking a control order.
His offence?
Meeting a person for a “dinner gathering” between 7pm and 8pm on Apr 8 at Block 82A Circuit Road.
The block is an HDB flat located in Macpherson. It was launched as a BTO in 2015 and was just ready for move-in somewhere around this year or last year.
The person he met is Lye Bao Ru, whose gender is not revealed.
Francis didn’t live there, and had dinner with Lye and Lye’s household members for an hour there. Lye doesn’t seem to be charged, though.
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The exact charge for Francis? Regulation 6 of the control order under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020, whereby an individual must not meet another individual not living in the same place of residence for any social purpose unless otherwise permitted.
It’s unknown how the authorities got wind of this breach, but MOH has harsh words for everyone: they will not hesitate to take enforcement action against those who fail to comply with COVID-19 regulations.
For the offence, Francis could be jailed for up to six months, fined a maximum S$10,000 or both.
He intends to plead guilty and will return to court on 20 May 2020.
Lest you didn’t know, there are only 12 reasons for you to leave your house during this Circuit Breaker period.
Here are the 12 reasons:
- To Go to Work In an Essential Business
- To Go to Work in Specified Schools or Childcare Centres
- To Send Your Child to Childcare Centres If You Are An Essential Service Staff
- To Care for the Disabled and Elderly People
- To Buy Essential Items (including food)
- To Get Medical Attention
- To Exercise
- To Enlist / Book In
- To Comply with the Law
- To Move House
- To Leave Singapore
- To Seek Help or for Emergency
That would have been the most expensive dinner served in an HDB.
So let’s just be guai guai and stay at home.
After all, did you know that the number of local cases has dropped by quite a bit since Circuit Breaker broke our social lives? Yesterday, there were only 5 Singaporeans or Singapore PRs who were infected.
Tahan a bit more lah.
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