When the authorities say everyone must wear a mask when outside, they mean everyone.
Rich people, poor people, F&B operators, people out on essential business, safe distancing ambassadors…everybody has to wear a mask.
And if a safe distancing ambassador was spotted not wearing a mask?
He’ll be treated the same as everyone else.
Safe-Distancing Ambassador Fined $300 As Well After Images Of Him Without Mask Got Shared On Facebook
On 15 April, two Safe Distancing Ambassadors (SDA) were spotted conducting a check at White Sands shopping mall.
Sounds normal, right?
Except an eagle-eyed netizen saw that one of them wasn’t wearing a mask and took a few photos of him.
He subsequently posted the photos in the Facebook group, Complaint Singapore, asking whether it was right that SDAs themselves are not wearing masks outside even when it’s mandatory.
The post was shared more than 800 times and picked up by Mothership.sg, who approached Enterprise Singapore (ESG) for answers.
ESG’s Response
According to ESG, the SDA had gone to the toilet during his break and forgot to put it back on after coming out.
That was when the photos were taken, ESG explains.
However, he immediately put his mask back on after getting reminded by other SDAs.
He has been issued with a $300 fine as well as a stern warning.
ESG says they take a serious view on such infringements and penalised him the same way other individuals are penalised as SDAs are supposed to “uphold the same standards”.
The SDA has apologised and accepted the punishment, they added.
This Is Their Full Response Below:
The person in the photo who was seen without a mask, is a Safe Distancing Ambassador (SDA) who had been deployed on the ground by ESG to conduct surveillance checks at shopping malls. Based on our investigations, the SDA had gone to the restroom during his break and forgot to put on his mask after leaving the restroom. That was when the photo was taken. He put on his mask immediately after the other SDAs reminded him.
ESG takes a serious view of such infringements and has issued a stern warning as well as imposed a S$300 penalty on him. This is consistent with the penalty imposed on individuals who are found not wearing a mask in the public, as we expect our SDAs to uphold the same standards. The SDA has accepted the penalty and apologised for his mistake.
We have reminded all deployed SDAs on the strict requirement to wear masks at all times as long as they are out of the house.
MOH’s FAQ Section
For those who find themselves still confused about the new mask measures, there’s a really great place for you to go to, virtually, of course.
The Ministry of Health’s Covid-19 FAQ
Within, they have a section devoted to demystifying the new mask measures for clueless Singaporeans like you and me.
For example, can smokers still smoke in public places?
According to question 13 on the Masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) section, smokers can take off their mask while smoking at non-prohibitive places (meaning, no void decks, no playgrounds (they’re closed anyway), etc).
They must put on their masks immediately after they finish their cigarettes and safe distancing of 1 metre must be observed at all times.
You can do your part as a responsible citizen through helping out in contact tracing by downloading the TraceTogether app.
In the meantime, keep yourself updated by bookmarking MOH’s website here and registering for the Gov.sg’s WhatsApp service here.
Or if you’re young, you can join Gov.sg’s Telegram channel and do remember to join the Goody Feed Telegram channel, too.
