Uncovering the KTV 'butterfly' effect in Singapore
A labyrinth of rooms lie behind tinted doors, obscuring the view of the world within from the public. But the lingering smell of cigarette smoke, coupled with bursts of loud music escaping each time the doors open, gives it away. These KTV lounges, which have pivoted to operate as food and beverage establishments, remain popular with men aged between 20 and 50.
Despite the growing cluster uncovered this week, many of them have continued to flock to KTV lounges located in strata malls and mixed-used developments. Jerry (not his real name), a man in his 20s who is familiar with the KTV lounge scene here, said the hostesses flit between four and 10 patrons per night. "Usually they only 'butterfly' at one KTV lounge a night, but it also depends on the pass they hold," he said.
ST found that there are two distinct groups of hostesses. The first group consists of short-term visitors, who usually stay together in groups in an apartment provided for them by a boss. These hostesses can work only at the KTV lounges affiliated with their bosses, but tend to stick to just one each night. The second group comprises long-term pass holders or residents, many purportedly with families here. These hostesses may "butterfly" to up to three KTV lounges in a night.
KTV Covid-19 Butterflies
Between 12 Jul (Mon) till today, 18 Jul (Sun), positive cases of Covid-19 in the community have gone up like crazy. All our earlier efforts to contain the virus has gone up in smoke. Who is to be blamed? The government was doing a great job until this slipshod. It’s a costly mistake, negating all their past efforts. Could it be that those government officials have never been to those KTVs at all?
They blame it on the “butterfly” effects. Many, especially the ladies, don’t know about this butterfly phenomenon until they are elaborated on it to explain the super spreading of the virus via the butterflies from KTVs to the community.
What has happened cannot be undone, so let’s hope that they will learn from this costly mistake by closely monitoring all the sleazy KTVs. For as long as this Covid-19 pandemic is not eradicated, all KTVs must be banned! Do not allow them to operate for the obvious reasons stated above.
KTV cluster butterfly effect
On the afternoon of 9 July (Fri), I met Wilson at Pasir Ris MRT station on my way home. We chatted a while regarding the easing of dine-in at hawker centres and coffeeshops. It was hot topic as the government had announced from 12 July (Mon), 5 persons could sit at a table. We were looking forward to our usual gathering as our kakis had not met for lunch since the 2 dine-in started. I did express my reservations that the government should have “banned” all KTVs from operating. I’m referring to those sleazy sex dens masquerading as KTVs. I have seen shocking video clips of shiokingly happenings inside those KTVs circulating on WhatsApp.
I told Wilson that there is no social distancing inside those KTVs and their intention of going there is to “ungal” (pronounce as wongal) Link those hostesses. It makes no sense to pay those sexy hostesses by the hour if there is one meter social distancing. When we gather in a coffeeshop or restaurant, we don’t ungal each other and we stay far apart. I was worried that the virus in these KTVs might spread to the community. We were asking each other why the government never thought of that? It’s so obvious. Let’s hope that nothing would happen.
Barely the easing restrictions began on 12 July (Mon), daily Covid figures suddenly shot up. Sadly, our prediction came through. The source of our recent record spike of Covid 19 cases came from those sleazy KTVs! I’m not going to pinpoint any nationality or I’ll be accused of xenophobic! As long it’s KTVs, it’s dangerous minefield cuz of the intimate ungaling activities in close proximity without any social distancing going on in those dark sleazy places. Link and Link
Most of the cases visited multiple KTV clubs, outlets
Ministry of Health’s Director of Medical Services Kenneth Mak on Friday (Jul 16) gave a breakdown of the COVID-19 cases tied to a KTV cluster in Singapore which has grown to 120 infections. He said investigations found that “most of the cases in this cluster have visited multiple KTV clubs and outlets, and this was either multiple visits to several KTV outlets on the same day, or multiple days, or during the period of concern”. https://cna.asia/3xNMG6s
Timeline: From KTV lounges switching to F&B outlets, to a spike in local COVID-19 cases
On Monday (Jul 12), the Ministry of Health (MOH) first announced the KTV cluster - then called the Case 64693 cluster - with three cases linked to it. MOH said that day it was investigating cases of infection among Vietnamese social hostesses who had frequented KTV lounges or clubs currently operating as food and beverage (F&B) outlets, as well as their close social contacts.
Then on Tuesday, MOH officially named the cases as the KTV lounges/clubs cluster, and stated that the cluster had swelled to 12 cases, with likely ongoing COVID-19 transmission at three KTV outlets.
On Wednesday, MOH announced 42 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore had been linked to the cluster, with Health Minister Ong Ye Kung calling the situation “troubling and disappointing”. Here is a timeline of how it got to this point:
- AUG 17, 2020: A CAUTIONARY NOTE
- OCT 20, 2020: NIGHTLIFE BUSINESSES START PIVOTING
- NOV 6, 2020: GRANTS FOR PIVOTING TO F&B ANNOUNCED
- JAN 19, 2021: PILOT PROGRAMME DELAYED
- MAY 14, 2021: ENFORCEMENT STEPPED UP
- JUL 12, 2021: KTV CLUSTER EMERGES
- JUL 13: 2021: KTV CLUSTER SWELLS
- JUL 14, 2021: A FURTHER SPIKE
- JUL 15, 2021: 34 MORE CASES LINKED TO CLUSTER
- JUL 16, 2021: INDEX CASE ENTERED SINGAPORE VIA FAMILIAL TIES LANE
- JUL 16, 2021: OPERATIONS SUSPENDED FOR 2 WEEKS
- JUL 17, 2021: POLICE SAY 27 KTVS CHECKED IN ISLANDWIDE OPERATION, 29 ARRESTED. KTV COVID-19 CLUSTER GROWN TO 148 CASES.
Singapore prepared to live with the Covid, then came the KTV Cluster
It was just a matter of time before Singapore’s commitment to live with Covid-19 would be tested. The only surprise is how quickly that moment came and how avoidable it was.
On Friday, Singapore announced it would tighten certain social-distancing measures and ramp up contact tracing and testing to contain a cluster that started at a karaoke lounge. The Ministry of Health said the outbreak will delay reopening plans, which could be rolled back significantly if virus numbers surge.
The announcement came just days after a range of restrictions had eased, and weeks after the government announced its intention to shift from a “Zero Covid” strategy to what the ministry called a “new normal.” For risk-averse Singapore, it promised to be a significant step, focusing on the number of severe cases rather than total infections, as vaccination rates steadily climb.
KTV and Jurong Fishery Port Covid-19 clusters linked
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said that the two clusters differ genetically from the Delta variant that infected people in the Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Changi Airport clusters. ST PHOTOS: GIN TAY, MARK CHEONG
Links to a large cluster at KTV lounges and lack of attention paid to mask wearing turned Singapore's main fishery port into a hotbed of Covid-19 infection, those who work there said.
It is understood that a KTV hostess who recently tested positive for the virus had worked at the port. Some workers there are also patrons of lounges.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung confirmed on Monday (July 19) that the KTV and Jurong Fishery Port clusters are linked and studies are ongoing to establish their relationship.
KTV cluster stands at a total of 192 cases
Singapore reported 163 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases as of noon on Monday (Jul 19), with 106 infections linked to the Jurong Fishery Port cluster and 19 cases with links to the KTV lounges cluster.
A total of 137 of the locally transmitted infections were linked to previous cases, with 66 already placed in quarantine and 71 cases detected through surveillance testing. Another 26 infections were not linked to previous cases, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its preliminary daily update. Among the new cases, there is one person above the age of 70 who is unvaccinated and at risk of serious illness, MOH said.
As of 5.30pm, the KTV cluster stands at a total of 192 cases while the Jurong Fishery Port and Hong Lim Market & Food Centre cluster has 160 infections.
KTV cluster grows to 149
The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Saturday (17 July) confirmed 68 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, taking the country's total case count to 62,981. Of them, 60 are local cases, including 29 – out of 55 linked infections – who belong to a fast-growing KTV lounges/clubs cluster. Five cases are currently unlinked.
The cluster is now linked to 149 cases, making it the biggest active cluster here as well as the largest recorded cluster in the community to date. The previous largest recorded cluster in the community was at Changi Airport Terminal 3, linked to 108 cases, which was announced to be closed almost one month ago. The remaining eight cases are imported, of whom one was detected upon their arrival here while seven developed the illness during their stay-home notice or isolation period.
Saturday marks the seventh day in a row where new local infections are reported. This comes three days after authorities announced 56 new COVID-19 community cases – the majority of whom were added to the KTV cluster – the highest number of such cases reported daily since 8 April last year.
Plug these loopholes in the wake of KTV cluster
Singapore has done remarkably well in resisting the tide of Covid-19 cases sweeping through the region. But the sudden unexpected surge from the KTV cluster shows what a small chink in the armour can do. There are also potential lessons to be learnt:
- First, careful thought and due consideration need to be given when deciding which businesses can be reopened and what activities can be allowed. The nature of KTV lounges' operations lets singing and activities between strangers in close contact occur in closed and poorly ventilated premises, where droplets and viral particles can linger. Allowing them to reopen and operate as a food and beverage service does not make sense, as many of the lounges do not have kitchen and washing facilities, and it's hard to imagine them truly functioning in this role.
- Second, many of these KTV outlets are located in shopping centres. They operate outside the official mall opening hours, and are therefore potentially evading checks by safe distancing ambassadors, bypassing TraceTogether check-ins at the entrances and escaping vice control activities as the mall is assumed to be closed. These are loopholes that need to be plugged, and covert enforcement stepped up.
- Third, since news of the cluster broke, members of the public have come forward to say they have noticed suspicious banned activities, such as spotting hostesses plying these outlets, and smoking and singing taking place. Perhaps the authorities could tap the public as an early warning system, and set up a reporting hotline or portal, where we could provide feedback that could help prompt early investigation and timely enforcement.
S’pore closed KTV lounges at the beginning of pandemic, then allowed them to reopen under F&B bistro
It is “massively hypocritical” that Singapore closed down nightlife establishments at the beginning of the pandemic for public health reasons, but then allowed them to reopen under the pretense of “pivoting” towards food and beverage (F&B) bistro later, said political intelligence analyst at MetisAsia, Andy W.
In a LinkedIn post on Saturday (17 July), Mr Andy highlighted that the “true reason” for Singapore’s recent largest domestic outbreak of COVID-19 – the KTV cluster – is “organised crime” and the “institutional failure” in dealing with it.
“Singapore’s image as a ‘law and order’ city is a glittering mirage,” he remarked.
“Big fish” who profited from KTVs in COVID-19 cluster should be punished as well, says social commentator
The “big fish” who profited off the women brought in to work at KTVs should be punished as well, argued social commentator Raj Singh. In a video on his Facebook page on Thursday (15 July), Mr Singh called into question the authorities role in the KTV COVID-19 clusters as well as politicians response to the matter. Mr Singh acknowledged that while some action would be taken against the women, “they are not the ones that are wrong”.
He explained: “We say we are a first world country, yet we have young girls coming here being groped by dirty, drunken old man in a middle of a pandemic just because our SGD has some value. What kind of animals do we have?”
He then questioned how KTVs were awarded licenses to operate as F&B outlets. We note that in August last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced a pilot programme for nightlife establishments to be allowed to reopen with COVID-19 safety measures. The ministries added that nightlife establishments not under the pilot programme could opt to “pivot to other permission activities” if they wanted to operate. They would also have to adhere to the COVID-19 measures.
Breaking the chains of transmission of the KTV cluster
MOH has detected several clusters in multiple KTV lounges or nightclubs that had pivoted to operate as Food & Beverage (F&B) establishments. Even as testing operations for staff and patrons were underway, more cases and clusters in similar settings emerged.
Since October 2020, nightlife establishments have not been allowed to operate but, upon representation by the industry, have been allowed to pivot into F&B operations. However, several errant establishments have abused this and operated clandestine and illegal activities. The Singapore Food Agency has revoked the licences of 3 such F&B establishments. The Government will continue to take strict enforcement actions against all F&B operators who breach the safe management measures (SMMs).
MOH will implement a 2-week suspension of operations from 16 July 2021 through 30 July 2021 for all nightlife establishments that had pivoted into F&B establishments. During this period, MOH will test the staff of these 400-odd establishments, inspect their SMM protocols, ensure proper implementation, before they are allowed to resume F&B operations.
Over 400 nightlife venues that pivoted into F&B suspended
More than 400 nightlife establishments that have pivoted into food and beverage (F&B) outlets will be suspended for two weeks from Friday (16 July) amid a rise in locally transmitted COVID-19 cases linked to KTV lounges/clubs that were operating as F&B outlets.
The establishments will be individually notified about the suspension and all staff will be tested for the virus, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a statement. The authorities will also inspect safe management protocols at these venues before allowing them to resume their F&B operations after 30 July.
Nightlife establishments have not been allowed to operate since October last year, but they have been allowed to pivot into F&B operations. "Regrettably, several errant establishments have abused the system by operating clandestine and illegal activities," said the MOH. Three such F&B establishments have since had their licenses to serve food revoked by the Singapore Food Agency, the ministry noted.
Family karaoke outlets petition for separate classification from tarred KTV lounges linked to Covid-19 cluster
The nine family KTV businesses have also called for the creation of a pilot scheme that would allow them to operate under strict safety measures. PHOTO: ST FILE
Nine family-style karaoke businesses have come together to petition the authorities to give them a separate classification from the types associated with the KTV lounges linked to a growing Covid-19 cluster.
The petition, titled "Separate family karaoke from nightclubs and KTV with hostess and allow us to operate safely", was started on Thursday (July 15) on petition website Change.org
It urges the Government to create a new "family karaoke" category, so that they are not classified under "cabarets, nightclubs, discotheques, dance clubs and karaoke lounges".
Growing KTV cluster of COVID-19 infections a 'major setback': Gan Kim Yong
Minister for Trade & Industry Gan Kim Yong speaks at a multi-ministry taskforce press conference on Jul 16, 2021
The new and growing COVID-19 cluster that has emerged from KTV lounges here is a "major setback" in Singapore's journey to recovery, said Minister of Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong. As of Friday (Jul 16), the cluster has a total of 120 cases, up from 88 the day before.
Speaking at a COVID-19 multi ministry task force press conference on Friday, Mr Gan said some of the cases had tested positive when authorities identified them. "Which means that they may have already infected others before they were isolated therefore we expect the number of cases to rise in the coming days," he said. "Furthermore, some of the close contacts may be within the incubation period and tested negative initially, they may turn positive in time to come, adding to the case count."
The co-chair of the task force added that the authorities will carry out contact tracing, community testing, as well as ring-fencing for this cluster.
related:
Existing COVID-19 dine-in rules to remain despite 'potentially huge’ KTV lounge cluster: Ong Ye Kung
29 women arrested in operation targeting pivoted KTVs; 10 to be deported
The police have arrested 29 women aged between 20 and 47 in an operation targeting pivoted KTVs. The islandwide anti-crime operation from Tuesday to Thursday saw checks on 27 pivoted KTV lounges operating as food and beverage (F&B) establishments.
Under Covid-19 restrictions, nightlife operations, which include KTV lounges, are prohibited. But they have been allowed to pivot to offering food and beverage. The police checked a total of 281 people found at the 27 places.
The women, of various nationalities, were arrested for offences under the Women’s Charter, the Immigration Act and the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Ten of them, aged between 21 and 34, have been deemed “undesirable immigrants” by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), and will be deported as they have had their short-term visit passes and work passes cancelled.
29 women nabbed in 3-day police crackdown on converted KTV lounges
True Love bistro and KTV pub along Geylang Road. Photo: TrueLove Bistro & KTV Pub/Facebook
The police have arrested 29 women aged between 20 and 47 of various nationalities after a three-day operation at converted KTV lounges, in light of a growing Covid-19 cluster linked to these venues.
Ten of the women will be deported after being found to have worked as social hostesses at nightclubs that have converted to food-and-beverage (F&B) businesses, the police said in a statement early on Saturday (July 18). They will also be barred from re-entering Singapore.
The 29 women were arrested for alleged offences under the Women’s Charter, the Immigration Act and the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. As part of the islandwide enforcement blitz from July 13 to 15, the police inspected 27 converted KTV clubs. A total of 281 people were found in these outlets. The KTV Covid-19 cluster, first announced on July 12, has since grown to 120 cases as of Friday.
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All nightlife businesses that pivoted to F&B to be suspended for 2 weeks as KTV COVID-19 cluster grows
Club M at 114 Middle Road. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
All nightlife establishments that had pivoted to operating as food and beverage outlets will have to suspend business for two weeks from Friday (Jul 16) after a rise in COVID-19 cases, many of them linked to a growing KTV cluster.
The suspension affects more than 400 such businesses, said the Ministry of Health (MOH), adding that they will be individually notified about the decision. During the suspension period, all employees will be tested for COVID-19.
The KTV COVID-19 cluster, which was first reported on Jul 12, has 120 cases linked to it as of Friday. This is up from 88 infections on Thursday
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First reported COVID-19 case of KTV cluster entered Singapore via familial ties lane: ICA, MOM
The Vietnamese short-term visit pass holder who was the first reported COVID-19 case in the KTV cluster entered Singapore in February via the familial ties lane, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Friday (Jul 16).
“According to checks by the ICA, this Vietnamese national entered Singapore in February 2021 via the familial ties lane, sponsored by a Singapore citizen who is her boyfriend,” said ICA and MOM in a joint statement. The familial ties lane facilitates the entry of foreigners with "intimate ties" in Singapore, said the statement.
According to ICA's SafeTravel website, eligible travellers under the familial ties lane include immediate family members, relatives, fiance or fiancee of a Singaporean or permanent resident. They can be holders of a valid work pass, a student's pass or hold an in-principle approval (IPA) of a student's pass. Former student's pass holders returning to Singapore to fulfil their scholarship obligations are also eligible. Other eligible travellers under the familial ties lane include a permanent resident IPA holder, an ICA-issued long-term visit pass IPA holder or an adopted child of a Singaporean or PR holding an IPA dependent pass.
Entry route for boyfriends or girlfriends of S'pore citizens & PRs removed in March: ICA
The Familial Ties Lane facilitates entry for immediate family members of Singaporeans and permanent residents. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
The option for unmarried partners of Singaporeans or permanent residents to enter the Republic through familial ties was removed in March, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Friday (July 16).
It was through this option that the first known case in a growing cluster linked to KTV lounges, a short-term visit pass holder from Vietnam, was allowed entry into Singapore.
She was sponsored by her Singaporean boyfriend.
Vietnamese woman who is first Covid-19 case in KTV cluster entered S'pore in February via familial ties lane
The woman who is the first case linked to the growing KTV cluster of Covid-19 infections is a short-term visit pass holder from Vietnam who entered Singapore in February via the familial ties lane, sponsored by her Singaporean boyfriend.
In a joint statement on Friday (July 16), the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that police investigations into possible illegal, including vice-related, activities within this KTV cluster are ongoing.
"If the investigations show any criminal offence on the part of these foreigners, ICA and MOM will take firm action against them, including cancelling their work pass, student pass or visit pass, and deport them," they said.
related:
Viet hostess in index case of KTV cluster holds Short-Term Visit Pass approved by ICA
It was reported in the media today (14 Jul) that the “index case” of the recently discovered COVID-19 cluster originating from KTV lounges is a Vietnamese hostess who is in Singapore on a short-term visit pass (STVP).
She first visited a clinic on Sunday (11 Jul) with acute respiratory infection symptoms. She was immediately taken to a hospital after she was tested positive for COVID-19. Authorities then started contact tracing and epidemiological investigations, and discovered that the Vietnamese woman had frequented numerous KTV outlets.
Some of the other Vietnamese girls working as KTV hostesses were also found to be living with her in the same household. The KTV cluster has shot up to 53 in total with 41 new cases discovered today. Of the 41, nine were already placed in quarantine and the rest were detected through surveillance. Cases tied to KTV lounges were first announced on Monday (12 Jul).
COVID-19: Nightlife businesses switching to F&B to have their applications prioritised
Nightlife businesses looking to switch to F&B will have their applications prioritised. The Singapore Nightlife Business Association said that snack bars were the easiest to pivot to, with the application process now taking up to three weeks - half the time needed previously. This comes after the multi-ministry task force on COVID-19 said that nightlife activities were not likely to return in Phase 3 of Singapore's reopening. Gwyneth Teo reports.
Leaked videos allegedly from KTV Covid-19 cluster circulate
Two videos that were allegedly taken at one of the Middle Road KTVs – which later were found to make up a large Covid-19 cluster – were circulated online and on WhatsApp messenger. The KTV cluster was made up of patrons who visited various outlets that spanned across Golden Mile Complex, Textile Centre, Balestier Point and Tanglin Shopping Centre. A total of 42 new Covid-19 cases are tied to a growing cluster linked to KTV outlets and nightclubs here, the Straits Times reported.
In the video clips, six people were seen eating, drinking, smoking and singing karaoke while at a KTV lounge. While they seemed to be spaced out as they were seated, it could be seen that a woman, who was not present in the first video, later joined the group to sit beside a man in a blue t-shirt. It is not clear from the videos which KTV lounge they were taken at.
KTV hostesses are known to move from one table to another over the course of a night, mingling with different groups. This rotation is colloquially known as “butterfly”, and often involves the hostess splitting her time between multiple guests, who each pay her a sum of about $50 to $100 at the end of the night. The hostesses have also been known to move between multiple KTVs in one night, going to lounges that have more guests if their usual haunt sees lower patronage.
Lights out, music stops: Still-shuttered pubs, karaoke joints call for help amid COVID-19 pandemic
It was early January when PUBking opened its doors to welcome its first customers. But the sight of merry partygoers clinking their glasses and singing their hearts out lasted for just two months before entertainment venues were forced to shut as part of COVID-19 control measures.
Nearly five months on, the karaoke pub in Outram remains shut as it is excluded from the list of businesses allowed to reopen. Far from recouping their initial investment of more than S$100,000, its owners have been dipping deeper into their pockets to keep the business afloat.
Even with partial subsidies from the Jobs Support Scheme and rental reliefs, wages and other bills such as utilities have added up to about S$10,000 over the past months. “No one opens a business to lose money … but so far, (this feels like a) waste of time, effort and money,” said co-owner Alvin Chua.
Opinion: The institutional failures behind Singapore's latest COVID outbreak
KTVs are not just playgrounds for the rich © Getty Images
Singapore is currently in the midst of its largest domestic COVID surge, with 192 cases directly linked to an outbreak centered around the country's karaoke lounges, known as KTVs.
Most of these KTVs are not innocent family-friendly affairs: Like another outbreak in Taiwan earlier this year, they are fronts for illegal brothels run by organized crime cartels.
But this latest outbreak goes deeper than just the evident public health crisis. It has exposed the pernicious role of organized vice enterprises in Singapore, and the institutional failure of the country's much-vaunted law enforcement to clamp down on them.
Shanmugam questions motives of writer behind 'fictional' Nikkei piece on KTV Covid-19 cluster
Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam questioned the motives of the writer of an opinion piece on the KTV Covid-19 cluster. PHOTOS: SCREENGRAB FROM ASIA.NIKKEI.COM, BH FILE
Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam on Thursday (July 29) questioned the motives of the writer of an opinion piece on the KTV Covid-19 cluster, whose claims had been rebutted by his ministry a day earlier.
He noted that the writer, Andy Wong Ming Jun, was charged over his alleged involvement in a Telegram group containing leaked sexual videos and images of women on Wednesday.
"We are left to wonder if the criminal investigation against him was the reason for his diatribe based on falsehoods; and the extent to which he was doing a political hack job (his political affiliation is public). Surprising also that Nikkei will publish such an article," said Mr Shanmugam in a Facebook post.
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'Full of inaccuracies': MHA rebuts Nikkei Asia article criticising Government's handling of KTVs amid COVID-19
Supreme KTV at Far East Shopping Centre on Jul 13, 2021. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday (Jul 28) rebutted a Nikkei Asia opinion piece criticising the Government's handling of KTV lounges amid the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it "full of inaccuracies".
The article was written by Mr Andy Wong, a political and business intelligence analyst based in Singapore according to the Japanese news website. It was published on Jul 23 titled The Institutional Failures Behind Singapore's Latest COVID Outbreak.
In the piece, Mr Wong alleged that "decades of institutional failures" in dealing with the "organised crime cartels running illegal KTV brothels" have derailed Singapore's efforts in bringing the pandemic under control. He also urged the Government to "explain what went wrong and how".
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KTV shut down now sell durians
Netizens share photos of ‘fishmongers’ at Jurong Fishery Port
After rumours spread that the index case for the KTV cluster – a Vietnamese woman – worked at Jurong Fishery Port, netizens took to social media sharing photos, let’s just say, not of your average fishmonger. Images circulating on social media and WhatsApp messenger showed photos of women, purportedly Vietnamese as well, selling fish. It is unclear if these images were actually taken at Jurong Fishery Port, or if they were just circulated because they are eye candy.
According to a report on Shin Min Daily News on Jul 18, the Chinese media reporters interviewed Jurong Fishery Port workers, who claimed that in one of the confirmed cases, there was a female employee who was suspected of being recruited part-time to work at a lounge.
The female employee was in charge of backend work at the port, Shin Min also reported. Their piece went as far as to claim that the woman is of Vietnamese origin.
Sexy Vietnamese Hawker At Hong Lim Told To “Go Back Home” Goes On Epic Rant
Don’t judge the owner of drinks stall Yumi by her appearance: “Why blame all Vietnamese girls? Why scold me like a dog?” rages the articulate woman in a series of videos
Vietnamese eateries around the island have been feeling the heat in the wake of last week’s KTV lounge cluster (totalling 215 Covid-19 cases at press time). Cancelled reservations and reduced patronage aside, the bosses of said eateries 8days.sg spoke to didn’t receive any nasty comments directed at their nationality.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for a famous scantily-clad Vietnamese hawker known only as Yumi — she opened an eponymous beer and juice stall in Hong Lim Food Centre last August (according to a video she posted on her popular Facebook page with more than 100K followers).
Yumi has had to close her stall and serve a quarantine order at home from July 17 to 31, along with the rest of Hong Lim Food Centre’s hawkers after a cluster related to the Jurong Fishery Port one emerged.
Hong Lim Market Beer Lady
Hong Lim’s famous lovely beer lady recently stated on how a man asked to take a photo with her and his friend deliberately aimed his mobile phone at her chest and took footage of her breasts.
The video was uploaded to the internet and the beer stall lady, Yumi, found out about it and was furious. She then vented angrily on Facebook.
She has reservations about wearing sexy tops after the incident but she said she will still wear sexy outfits in the future. “I like dressing like this. I’m here running a legitimate business, I have nothing to fear,” she added.
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