Wedding organiser to admit he let 235 into reception when legal limit was 100

Singapore — Wedding organiser Osman Arrifin and Orange Ballroom LLP  have been charged with breaching COVID-19 safe management measures after 235 people were apparently allowed to attend a wedding event on Jan 30, when the legal limit was only 100.

Osman, 59, and the company have been charged with contravening the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020 since they failed to comply with restrictions for marriage solemnisations and wedding receptions.

The company faces a single charge, for allowing more than the prescribed temporary limit of 100 people to attend the wedding event on Wednesday (Nov 10) and failing to ensure that it followed the regulations.

Osman faces two charges, of failing to ensure that no more than 100 guests attended  the wedding, and also to ensure that the guests asked to attend a reception at a given time did not attend another reception at any other time.

This is what the court was told:

The safety breach occurred at the Orange Ballroom on the third floor of Tanjong Katong Complex in Geylang. 

The plan had been for eeach guest to attend only one of the receptions, but 18 guests disregarded the instruction and attended more than one reception. Each of the three receptions was supposed to have only 50 guests. But court documents showed that they were attended respectively by 62, 73 and 60 guests.

In court, Osman represented himself and Orange Ballroom, and  said that both he and the company would plead guilty.

When asked by the judge if he planned to engage a lawyer, he replied that he did not, adding that Orange Ballroom LLP now owes five months rent, or more than $300,000 to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) because the pandemic had hit his business so hard.

When weddings had to be cancelled in  2020, Orange Ballroom LLP refunded more than $200,000 to couples.

The case is due to be heard in court again on Dec 20.

For every charge of breaching Covid-19 regulations, first offenders may be liable to fines of up to $10,000 and/or up to six months’ jail. For subsequent offences, the maximum penalties are doubled.

In March, The Orange Ballroom was closed for 20 days for “egregious breaches” of Covid measures due to the Jan 30 wedding event. Osman said  it meant that nine couples had to move weddings to other venues, which cost even more money.

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said that its safe distancing ambassadors checked on Orange Ballroom on Jan 30, they saw that the one wedding couple held more than one reception, which goes against the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020.

In early April of 2020, the Orange Ballroom was declared a Covid cluster. /TISG

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