3 F&B operators charged with breaching Covid-19 laws; firm that held staff dinner also charged
Kim's Place Seafood on Joo Chiat Road (pictured) was charged with flouting Covid-19 safety regulations.
SINGAPORE — Three food-and-beverage (F&B) operators were charged on Tuesday (Feb 2) with breaching Covid-19 safety regulations, while another company was charged with holding a staff dinner at one of the operator’s premises.
They are the first operators to be charged with the breaches overseen by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
Singapore Straits Wine Company faces one charge of holding a dinner for 26 employees at Kim’s Place Seafood Restaurant in Joo Chiat on Sept 7 last year.
Under Covid-19 regulations, permitted enterprises are not allowed to hold such events if the purpose is not critical to their business or operations.
Kim’s Place Seafood faces eight charges in total.
It allegedly allowed gatherings of more than five persons split across multiple tables on the evening of Singapore Straits Wine Company’s staff dinner, and failed to take reasonable steps to ensure physical interaction between customers was minimised.
It also purportedly allowed karaoke activities on its premises that day.
Kim’s Place Seafood is accused of committing these offences again on Sept 12.
The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment earlier said that the restaurant was issued with two closure orders totalling 30 days, from Jan 6 to Feb 4, for their breaches.
The 26 employees who turned up at the dinner were each fined S$300.
The two other F&B operators charged were Mark Enterprise, which runs the Try Again bar at 17 Circular Road in Boat Quay, and Invincible (BBCM) that runs the Invincible Noodle House at 13 Circular Road.
Mark Enterprise allegedly continued business operations on July 18, despite being ordered to close its premises for a period of 10 days from July 18 to 27 for infringing multiple safe management rules.
Invincible (BBCM) faces five charges. It allegedly did not stop customers from gathering in groups of five or fewer people, did not ensure at least 1m between the groups, and it failed to implement SafeEntry check-in requirements for customers on Oct 2.
It is also accused of not screening customers’ temperature and checking for visible symptoms of Covid-19 at the entrance of the eatery, and permitting customers to continue drinking alcohol past 10.30pm that day.
A prosecutor from URA said that the authority is consulting the Attorney-General’s Chambers for the four cases.
All of the three companies’ representatives will return to court on March 2.
If convicted under Covid-19 laws, the firms could be fined up to S$10,000 for each charge. Repeat offenders can be fined up to double that amount.
