Hawker writes to PM Lee on FB, says having food courts open is a torture to all stall vendors who pay monthly rental with no one there

With the Covid-19 outbreak having taken a toll on business, and the government announcing that all entertainment venues such as night clubs, discos, karaoke outlets, cinemas and theatres to be closed, homegrown hawkers are now facing a pinch.

In a Facebook post circulated on social media yesterday (Mar 26), one hawker, Landy Chia, tagged Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the social media website and wrote about the current situation from the viewpoint of hawkers. He said that the closure of many establishments and fewer Singaporeans eating out because they were asked to stay at home had affected his livelihood.

“Not only that, now entertainment centres are closing but why close one by one except the foodcourt?” he asked.

“This is a torture to all stall vendors and yet we still have to pay our rental monthly with no one in the foodcourt?” Mr Chia griped.

As part of the Resilience Budget announced yesterday (Mar 26), Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced that hawkers managed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) will get three months of rental waiver, up from the one month announced in the Feb 18 Budget. /TISG