Update (18 Mar): The People’s Association (PA) has cancelled Ramadan bazaars at Wisma Geylang Serai, Our Tampines Hub and Woodlands this year due to the Covid-19 situation.
Read this article to find out more:
The Islamic fasting month or Ramadan is fast approaching, and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic remains a concern on everyone’s minds.
With possibly more stringent social control in the works, the fate of large-scale events like the Geylang Bazaar hangs in the balance.
An annual affair many look forward to, new safety precautions may change the experience for everyone.
The street-side food and shopping fair that precedes Hari Raya is a staple event in every Malay Singaporean’s life.
Throngs of people would crowd Geylang throughout the Ramadan period to soak in the festive atmosphere. But new rules could affect the festivities this year, amid Covid-19 fears.
According to Berita Harian (BH), online procurement portal GeBIZ requires the bazaar’s organisers to provide daily cleaning services and temperature screenings of stall vendors.
They’ll also have to group stalls into clusters, with each cluster comprising only 4 stalls.
The stalls will have to stand 10 metres apart, unlike the 6 to 8-metre distance required in previous years.
As a result of the wider spacing, the Geylang bazaar will only be able to accommodate 500 stalls, which is 300 less than the previous year.
Operated by Wisma Geylang Serai (WGS) in 2019, this year’s bazaar is still awaiting a new bidder for the tender which will close at 4pm on Monday (16 Mar).
Potential bidders are weighing their options, keeping in mind the developing Covid-19 situation. Among their worries are the extra costs incurred from the additional safety measures.
They also wonder if the bazaar will have to close if the government decides to raise DORSCON from orange to red.
For now, it seems that the event will go on, as BH states that it will run from 18 Apr till 24 May 2020. Hopefully we’ll have the Covid-19 situation under better control by then, so everyone can enjoy the bazaar like they do every year.
Featured image adapted from The Ordinary Patrons.
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