In the movie The Purge, all crime is legal for one day a year so people can “purge” all of their built-up anger.
Many people end up murdering and committing other heinous acts, which begs the question: are we not committing these crimes because we’re good people or because it’s illegal?
That’s a question for another time, but one thing is certain during this Covid-19 pandemic: if there’s no law to enforce it, people wil absolutely not abide by lockdown orders.
Day 2 of Circuit Breaker Sees More Than 3,000 Breaches
Over 3,000 written advisories were issued on the second day of the “circuit breaker” period, a month of elevated social distancing measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The majority of these were issued at hawker centres, markets, and across Housing and Development Board (HDB) public spaces.
As you know, the gahmen closed all schools and non-essential workplaces for a month until 4 May. They urged Singaporeans to stay indoors and only leave their homes for essential trips like buying food and groceries or exercising.
The public was also told to maintain a safe distance from others during these essential trips outdoors.
But some people, despite getting the memo in various forms, refused to comply with these measures.
One man, for instance, sat on a marked seat to eat. And when he was asked to leave, he simply moved to another table and continued eating.
He wasn’t the only one – 611 written advisories were handed out at the cooked food sections as well to people who sat on seats in the dining areas or did not maintain a 1m separation from others when queueing.
One of the circuit breaker measures is that we’re not allowed to dine in at hawker centres; we’re supposed to only buy takeaway.
Wouldn’t it be better to eat at home in your comfy chair while watching your favourite show on Netflix, anyway?
Another 307 written advisories were issued to patrons at markets to keep a safe distance between one another when making purchases at stalls.
Now, we might be able to forgive someone for forgetting about safe distancing while queueing for food, but the enforcement officers also found many people, young and old, gathering in groups day and night.
At this point, both the authorities and I are sick of asking people why they would do something that would endanger their lives and the lives of others, so I’m going to let a gif do it for me.
Exercise groups were also found meeting in parks, which makes perfect sense: let’s exercise so if we contract Covid-19 while exercising, everything will be fine and dandy.
In addition to the written advisories, three written stern warnings were also issued on Wednesday, said the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR).
7,000 breaches on Day 1
Day 1 of the circuit breaker period was much worse of course. 7,000 written advisories were issued.
Similarly, most of these advisories were issued to members of the public in hawker centres and markets.
Many failed to maintain safe distances when queuing or making payments, and one stallholder was issued an advisory for selling drinks intended for dine-in at a hawker centre.
MEWR said that if a member of the public commits the same offence after receiving a written advisory, the enforcement officer will take down his or her particulars and issue a written stern warning.
According to CNA, first time offenders can actually be fined up to S$10,000 or imprisoned up to six months, or both.
The penalty for second or subsequent offences is a fine of up to S$20,000 or imprisonment of up to twelve months, or both.
Yes, the government isn’t messing around.
Based on what’s happening right now, I shudder to think what would happen if Singapore ever held a purge of its own.
