Guests at 14-person birthday party in Tagore Lane fined for flouting Covid-19 rules
SINGAPORE - A group of 14 Singaporeans turned up on July 17 for a birthday party at an industrial unit in Tagore Lane, at a time when only five people could socialise as a group amid Covid-19 curbs.
Without masks, they drank alcohol and mingled for four hours before the police arrived.
On Friday (Nov 26), four of them - Tan Ying Peng, 33, Joanne Goh Chiew Huay, 28, Angelina Fong Xi Mun, 30, and Renee Fong Xi Wei, 27 - were fined $2,000 each for flouting Covid-19 rules.
The party organiser, Kanda Loh Kailing, 36, was handed a heavier fine of $2,500.
The case against Lim Syu Kuan, 28 - who did not turn up in court - is adjourned to Dec 13. The court was informed that Lim did not turn up because he had a fever.
On Nov 25, four other guests - Allison Tan Hui Ru, 28, Eileen Quek, 36, Tan Lan Eng, 33, and Yoshikawa Miyuki, 33 - had been fined $2,000 each. He Zemin, 37, was fined $6,000 for illegally supplying alcohol and providing public entertainment.
Court documents did not state when the remaining guests will be dealt with. They are Travis Lim Yong Jian, 22, Vanniller Yeo Xue Ting, 34, and Zhang Xilin, 38, who have all been charged.
The court heard that Loh organised the party for Yeo on July 17 and arranged to use the unit in Tagore Lane. He Zemin, a caretaker of the unit then, recommended the venue as there were karaoke equipment and alcohol that would be served at $888.
The guests turned up from 10pm, with no SafeEntry or temperature checks done to enter the premises. None wore a mask as they drank liquor and socialised for about four hours before the police arrived at 1.30am, after they were alerted to the party.
Seeking a fine of $2,000 for each guest for deterrence, the prosecution said: "The group went to the unit for a frivolous purpose, well past the limit of five people. They intermingled over drinks, posing a significant risk of transmission.
"It would have been difficult to contact trace had there been an outbreak."
A heavier fine of $2,500 for Loh was sought for her role in planning the party in the light of the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Singapore.
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