The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said on Tuesday (March 8) that it is aware of an incident over the weekend where a woman was walking along Orchard Road without a mask.
Ms Serene Tan, STB’s director of safe management measures operations, on Tuesday, said that the statutory board is “aware of the alleged incident and investigations are ongoing”, a TODAY Online article reported.
The woman in question is believed to be Phoon Chiu Yoke (also known as Badge Lady), but Ms Tan did not confirm this.
Phoon, or the woman now known as the “Badge Lady” was once again spotted in public not wearing a mask. On Sunday (March 6), popular blogger Wendy Cheng aka Xiaxue was filming along Orchard Road and saw the infamous Badge Lady.
In an Instagram story, Xiaxue filmed Phoon and wrote: “OMG I SAW THE BADGE LADY TODAY!!!”
“I went to approach her and ask her to be interviewed and she ignored me just glared at me then I asked if she is the badge lady and she glared at me in silence and walked off,” Xiaxue wrote.
She added: “She really next level really not wearing mask!!! I love how she really die die stick to her principles”.
Xiaxue added that half an hour later, Phoon walked by her again and was still not wearing a mask.
Phoon’s claim to fame: She was infamously caught on camera refusing to wear a face mask, despite being asked to do so by safe distancing ambassadors.
She was spotted repeatedly asking for the safe distancing ambassadors’ badges as they advised her to wear a mask while queueing at Marina Bay Sands. “If you have no badge, why are you asking me to do something?” she was heard saying. “Who are you representing?” she asked.
The 54-year-old failed to wear a mask on numerous occasions at public places, including the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) integrated resort and outside the State Courts.
She admitted to her offences in a district court on Sept 6 last year and was sentenced to 16 weeks in jail.
In STB’s statement, Ms Tan said that the STB takes a serious view of any breach of safe management measures.
“Members of the public are required to strictly comply with all prevailing safe management measures. We will not hesitate to take enforcement action for non-compliance, which may include composition fines or prosecution under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020,” she added. /TISG