News of the growing KTV cluster has undoubtedly caused much concern across Singapore.
The risk of transmission beyond the initial location is very real, and 1 case involving a stall assistant at a Toa Payoh hawker centre proves that.
As a precaution, the centre has been closed temporarily.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, a satay stall assistant at the Blk 75 Lor 5 Toa Payoh Hawker Centre recently tested positive for Covid-19.
The assistant had reportedly patronised a KTV lounge on Sunday (11 Jul), which is linked to the existing cluster.
Some hawkers shared that they had seen the satay stall assistant working that day. The order in which he did that and visited the KTV lounge is unclear.
A dessert stallholder told Lianhe Zaobao that they received instructions to close at around 3pm yesterday (14 Jul).
The Straits Times (ST) reported that the closure will be until further notice, with no reopening date in sight yet.
The hawker centre will be undergoing deep cleaning and disinfection in the meantime, today (15 Jul) and tomorrow (16 Jul).
Following news of the closure, stallholders also learnt that they’ll have to take mandatory Covid-19 tests.
Swab testers have started visiting some of their homes today, noted ST, as they have to self-quarantine at home for 14 days.
While the risk of infection is no doubt troubling, stallholders also have their businesses to worry about.
Some shared their concerns with Lianhe Zaobao that more infections may emerge, just like the Bukit Merah Market cluster.
Even when they reopen eventually, they anticipate some hesitation from customers who may be wary about visiting the food centre.
Considering the circumstances, the stallholders’ worries are certainly valid.
Should they experience any financial struggles due to the closure, we hope that help will be available for them to overcome these problems.
For now, we hope that all the hawker centre staff and customers there are safe and that no new cases will surface there.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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