Singapore – A café-bar in Duxton Hill was ordered to close after social distancing ambassadors (SDAs) conducting a spot check discovered its seats were less than the required one metre apart.
Parallel Coffee Roasters and Yen Bar, the two concepts occupying the same area, took to social media on Jul 7 to make the announcement.
They noted being served a notice to close with immediate effect from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Jul 6.
Upon a spot check by SDA officers on Jul 2, they found that the F&B establishments did not keep their chairs one metre apart.
“We take full responsibility for the offence,” wrote the café. “Despite deploying more staff to ensure safe distancing was adhered to, we were unable to keep our customers far apart enough.”
They noted that at the time of the spot check, there was a full house. Rain had just passed; therefore, customers seated outdoors were moved inside, the café explained.
The business admitted that it is still their responsibility to ensure safe distancing measures are upheld regardless of the circumstances.
“The closure is a blow to us, especially with the return of five pax dining next week.”
“We implore you to help us and any F&B establishment you dine at – be responsible and understanding when asked to follow measures,” the business asked customers.
It noted that they don’t “set the rules but have to enforce them.”
“Our livelihoods are on the line. If you don’t yet understand how strict the authorities are on these measures, we’ve been made an example of. We hope this convinces you.”
The café was ordered to close for ten days until Saturday (Jul 17).
Towards the end of its post, the company also asked SDAs to be more considerate when approaching service staff after experiencing certain officers being “rude, condescending and unprofessional” in how they handled the situation.
The SDAs reinforced the “unfortunate notion that employees in the service sector are somehow of a lower class,” it noted.
“This is highly disappointing, and while you expect us to uphold your rules, we can only hope that you would likewise uphold a higher standard of professionalism,” the company added./TISG
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