If there’s anything you should learn in this pandemic, it’s to mask up and stay away from people.
Unfortunately, not everyone is going to obey the rules, so this is where our “fine” city has to step in.
Today (26 May), the police announced that they would be taking action against 25 massage establishments and 23 individuals for disobeying COVID-19 safe management rules.
The police had conducted enhanced checks over the last 2 weeks across 850 of such businesses to make sure that both the staff and customers were adhering to the regulations.
These checks were performed in light of the new COVID-19 clusters and the surge of new cases in Singapore. It highlighted the need for continued vigilance in the practice of safe management measures by massage establishments, which are allowed to continue operating in the current climate.
Of course, some of the organisations were discovered to have broken the most important rule of all—to have customers and staff wear a mask at all times.
Uh oh.
In their media release, the police said that “[d]epending on the seriousness of the breaches found, these massage establishments may be fined between S$1,000 and S$2,000, while individuals may be fined S$300 and S$1,000.”
Parlour Fails To Inform Authorities of Infected Staff
What’s worse is that one massage parlour with an extremely unique name, Spa 9, did not inform the authorities that one of their staff members has contracted the virus.
The police had issued a notice of composition to the business for failing to do so. Informing the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department when an employee tests positive for the virus is compulsory under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020.
New Mask Guidelines
With the new B1617 variant reaching our shores and with the rise of community cases, the authorities have re-evaluated the masks we buy and wear.
Are they able to adequately protect us from the seemingly higher levels of transmission, especially with the presence of new variants of the virus?
According to MOH, members of the public are advised to wear face coverings such as surgical masks or reusable masks that are made of at least two layers of fabric.
MOH has also shared that reusable masks given out by the People’s Association (PA) and Temasek Foundation have good filtration efficiency.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has released the following guidelines to take into consideration when choosing a mask:
- Masks that have at least two to three layers of fabric. A general guideline to adhere to is that the mask should not be see-through when it is held against the light.
- Layers should ideally be made with different fabrics, including a water-repellent outer layer, a middle filter layer for the removal of particulates, as well as an absorbent inner layer to absorb droplets from the wearer’s mouth.
- Fabrics that have better filtering efficiency and are sufficiently permeable to allow breathing.
- Mask should fit well around the face and chin, providing absolute coverage of the nose and mouth to prevent exhaled droplets from escaping.
The HSA has also advised the public not to wear masks that contain exhalation valves, because such masks allow exhaled droplets to escape, exposing others around the wearer to the risk of transmission of the virus.
To read more about what to look out for when buying and wearing a mask, click here.
And to know why masks are important in the fight against COVID-19, watch this video to the end:
Featured Image: Singapore Police Force