From 29 July to 2 Aug, the Merlion statue at One Fullerton will be unavailable for photographs, as it will undergo cleaning and maintenance works.
The Straits Times (ST) reports that the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) issued a statement about the maintenance works on Friday (5 July).
Source: shawnanggg on Unsplash
In the statement, STB said that during the works, the Merlion statue will be covered in scaffolding.
As such, it will not be available for photo-taking.
STB said that it would put up a sign during that period.
Travel agents and tour guides will also be informed in advance via its Travel Agents and Tourist Guides Licensing System.
That said, the smaller Merlion cub statue nearby will still be available for photographs.
Source: @tejas_khati on Instagram
“We seek the public’s understanding as the works and barricades may cause some inconvenience,” STB said.
MS News has reached out to STB for comment.
On 27 and 28 July last year, STB had to temporarily close the Merlion statue after visitors spotted cracks on its surface.
A user on the social media platform Xiaohongshu posted a picture of a crack running up the Merlion’s torso.
Another netizen on the platform had then shared footage of the statue, showing a closer look of the crack.
Source: Xiaohongshu
Other tourists had similarly noticed it, according to 8world News.
One visitor from the United States said she did not mind the defect, explaining that it was only noticeable from the back of the statue.
However, another tourist from the Philippines expressed their worries that the statue could crumble in a few years.
While the issue seemed to be resolved, STB subsequently announced that the Merlion statue would undergo another round of repair works for nearly three months from 25 Sep to 13 Dec 2023.
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Featured image adapted from Jay Ang on Unsplash.
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