Safe-Distancing Ambassador Allegedly Addresses Woman As “Sir” In Geylang Serai
Update (24 Jul): According to a Singapore Food Agency (SFA) spokesperson, the incident occurred on Tuesday (21 Jul) at 60 Changi Road.
2 Safe Distancing Ambassadors (SDA) were reportedly “performing their duties” at a kopitiam when they spotted a handful of food handlers not wearing their masks properly.
The food handlers complied when advised by the SDAs.
Another food handler – presumably the woman who captured the video – filmed the SDAs as they were leaving the premises, and claimed they were rude to the other food handlers.
The SDAs subsequently called the police as the woman was persistent in her pursuit and “showed signs of aggression”.
The police is currently investigating the case.
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In light of the lurking coronavirus, safe-distancing ambassadors continue to be deployed to ensure that Singaporeans are complying with Covid-19 measures.
However, a viral video of 2 safe-distancing ambassadors who allegedly mistook a woman’s gender & later asked for her IC began circulating on social media on Wednesday (22 Jul).
You can watch the video in full here via All Singapore Stuff’s Facebook page.
We summarise the events that followed below.
Safe-distancing ambassador was allegedly “rude” to hawker
The video begins with the person behind the camera leaving a seat at a dining establishment.
The OP appears to give chase after 2 masked safe-distancing ambassadors in white.
One of the ambassadors appears to raise her camera, presumably to capture a picture of the pursuer, after spotting the OP.
That’s when the lady behind the camera shouts from a distance,
You are very rude, you know!
Mistakenly addresses woman as “sir”
As the lady approaches both ambassadors, one of them – clad in a pair of black jeans – mistakenly addresses her repeatedly as “sir”, triggering an angry response.
She then continues berating the other safe-distancing ambassador wearing a denim skirt over her prior “rude” exchange with a hawker.
At one point, the safe-distancing ambassador tells the woman sternly to not shout at her, which prompted an even louder response.
The same officer then followed up by asking the woman for her IC to confirm her gender.
What happened next, happens quickly. The other ambassador’s phone drops onto the floor as the OP appears to have swiped it from her hands.
Woman retrieves IC from car to verify gender
The person behind the camera then appears to spend several minutes walking to her car to retrieve her IC.
She returns shortly after and flashes the card to the ambassador in jeans.
In response, the ambassador says she had already apologised for the blunder and addressed her respectfully using “sir” and “madam”.
The video ends abruptly, with the woman informing the duo that the footage will be uploaded on Facebook.
Given the surroundings, the incident appears to have taken place along Changi Road in Geylang Serai.
We’ve reached out to the authorities for their response on the matter, and will update this article when more information is available.
Seeking resolution after a conflict
Mistaking someone’s gender can elicit awkward, and in this case, rather hostile responses.
However, we hope that Singapore’s society will continue to strive to be a more inclusive one. And that similar misunderstandings & disagreements may be resolved peacefully.
In this case, we hope all parties involved will be able to lay the matter to rest soon.
Share your thoughts on this incident in the comments below.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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