Police reopen 4 areas around Marina Bay after closure due to NDP preview crowds
Crowds gather at the Merlion Park during a preview of the National Day Parade on Aug 3, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
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SINGAPORE: Four areas around Marina Bay closed by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) due to large crowds on Saturday (Aug 3) have reopened.
The crowds had gathered in the areas – Clifford Square, the Fullerton Waterfront, the Merlion Waterfront and the Jubilee Bridge – for the second preview of this year's National Day Parade (NDP).
SPF announced at 7.40pm that it had closed access to the areas and asked members of the public to avoid them.
In an update at about 9.10pm, it said that the crowd situation in Marina Bay's waterfront areas had eased and that the four areas had been reopened to the public.
SPF advised members of the public to refer to the Crowd@Marina Bay map or visit the SPF Facebook page for the latest information on crowds in the area.
On Thursday, SPF had said that large crowds were expected at Marina Bay for the NDP preview.
To prevent overcrowding, SPF officers would be regulating the flow of the crowd in areas around Marina Bay such as the Esplanade Waterfront, the One Fullerton Waterfront, Merlion Park and the Marina Bay Sands Waterfront, it said.
Certain entrances and exits of MRT stations around Marina Bay would also be closed to regulate crowd flow, SPF said. Should there be overcrowding, trains may bypass affected stations to divert people away, it added.
