Chinese New Year 2021 may have been a somewhat subdued affair owing to several restrictions at the time, but that’s not exactly the case for everyone.
Indeed, for a particular group of 15, their festive period was filled with laughter and face-flushing liquor…
Though at what cost, exactly?
It all started when two individuals decided to take things up a notch.
Chua Li Jin, 32, proposed a Chinese New Year gathering while at dinner on 24 February 2021. He contacted Ong Hui Siong, 39, who suggested using his own office at 1 Pemimpin Drive as the venue.
Intending to soak in the festive atmosphere of CNY, they sought similar-minded individuals in an attempt at fun.
Before long, 15 names have been confirmed on the attendance sheet, way past the permitted mark at the time.
Due to Singapore being in Phase 3 of the reopening period at the time, groups were not allowed to exceed eight pax.
The attendees started arriving from 9:00pm on 24 February 2021, and it gradually began to get chaotic.
The group of 15 engaged in fun-filled behaviour, indulging in drinks and karaoke sessions. They also played games.
To circumvent any risk of being found out, they also deployed two individuals as lookouts.
Everything seemed to be on track.
Disapproval
But then the security guard attacked.
In a figurative sense anyway.
At around 2:00 a.m. on 25 February, the guard, who was on duty, decided to phone the cops.
He told the police that there was a multitude of people in the unit, and that it wasn’t the first time.
The guard also revealed how two people were on standby outside.
After receiving the call, the police swiftly went down to the scene and noticed loud music blaring from the unit.
They then saw what the participants were indulging in.
No effort was also taken to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.
Sentencing
In court, Tey Zhi Yuan, 30, and Xiao Jing, 29, each pleaded guilty to one charge of breaching COVID-19 regulations.
A second charge, which entailed how they had left their residences without an appropriate alibi, was also taken into consideration.
They were eventually fined S$3,000 each on 25 October 2021.
For the record, the others did not escape unscathed. Instead, Tey and Xiao reportedly pleaded guilty first because they wanted to leave Singapore.
The remaining 13 individuals are a mix of Chinese nationals, a Malaysian and Singaporeans. They’re between 25 and 39 years old.
Chua and Ong, who got the ball rolling, are Singaporeans.
For flouting a pandemic-related regulation, they could have faced an imprisonment term of up to six months, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.
Other Instances
Unfortunately, such instances aren’t exactly uncommon.
In fact, between 24 April and 6 June 2021, a total of 158 people had allegedly flouted COVID-19 safe-distancing measures.
147 of them are men, and 11 are women.
They’re believed to have engaged in illegal gambling activities as well.
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