8 Britons who flouted Covid rules banned from working here
Eight work pass holders from Britain who flouted Covid-19 rules here when they took part in an unlawful gathering on a yacht off Lazarus Island last year have been banned from working in Singapore, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said yesterday.
In court yesterday, they pleaded guilty to an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act and were each fined $3,000.
Annabelle Morgan Duke, 26; Philip Edward Knatchbull Holmes, 27; Mark Alexander Bellamy, 29; Amy Georgina Hunt, 30; Thomas Cuthbert Williams-Jones, 30; Oliver Francis William Campbell, 31; Amy Alexandra Stewart, 32; and Benjamin David Waters, 32, were part of a group of 10 people who boarded the craft on Dec 26 last year.
The group had intermingled without masks at a time when social gatherings were limited to five people.
MOM said in a statement that the work passes of the eight Britons had been cancelled by their former employers earlier.
In March, the other two merrymakers on the yacht - Briton Amy Grace Ropner, 28; and Sin-gapore permanent resident Mark Lau San Mao, 30 - were also each fined $3,000 for the same offence.
Ropner has been banned from working here, and the validity of Lau's re-entry permit will be shortened on his next renewal.
The court heard that Hunt chartered the yacht for 10 people on Dec 26, last year.
Before departing from Sentosa, the yacht's master gave them a briefing.
They were told to keep to two groups of five, one at the front and one at the back of the yacht. They were also reminded not to mix between groups, to wear a mask when not in the water or eating or drinking.
The yacht was off Lazarus Island when onlookers spotted the group. Pictures and videos of the group dancing and intermingling without masks were later posted on social media.
Those found guilty of breaching a Covid-19 regulation can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000.
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