Bukit Merah hawkers, shop owners to receive $250 cash assistance after businesses were hit by tuberculosis scare
MP Eric Chua has also appealed for rental and conservancy rebates, after 2 infectious TB cases found following health ministry screenings
SINGAPORE — Shop owners and hawkers in Bukit Merah whose businesses were impacted by tuberculosis (TB) cases and health screenings will be receiving $250 in cash assistance by the end of February.
CNA reported on Friday (16 February) that the stalls at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre, as well as the shops at Blocks 1, 2 and 7 Jalan Bukit Merah will receive the assistance. The announcement was made by Eric Chua, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, and he said that he has also appealed for rental and conservancy rebates from the authorities, with details being finalised.
The cash assistance is a collaborative effort between the Queenstown Citizens Consultative Committee and the Central Singapore Community Development Council, following a CNA report that hawkers and shop owners in the affected blocks had seen business plunge after news broke of the cluster of TB cases.
An ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre stall assistant had told CNA that business was "worse than during COVID", with patrons avoiding the popular food centre due to fear of infection.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung took to Facebook in mid-January to reassure the public that they can eat at the hawker centre without risk of TB transmission. Other ministers and MPs such as Grace Fu, Amy Khor and Baey Yam Keng also attempted to allay fears with social media posts of themselves dining at the food centre.
While the situation has improved, stall owners told CNA that they had to cut down the amount of food prepared due to the reduced footfall.
Mandatory screening exercise
Mandatory screening for tuberculosis in the area ran from 11 to 15 January after 10 new TB cases were detected between February 2022 and July 2023. This was after initial detection of seven cases linked to Block 2 Jalan Bukit Merah in 2022.
The screening was administered to some 3,000 residents and workers at Blocks 1 and 3 Jalan Bukit Merah, workers at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre, and clients and staff of Thong Kheng Seniors Activity Centre. From the 2,548 individuals who were screened, two infectious cases of TB were identified.
Another 322 individuals were diagnosed with latent TB infection and 66 people underwent further evaluation. The other individuals tested negative.
The Ministry of Health said that those with latent TB infection cannot spread the disease, which is endemic and curable if treated early. Furthermore, transmission of the tuberculosis bacteria from active cases usually requires prolonged exposure – days to weeks of exposure. A person cannot get tuberculosis from sharing cups, utensils or food.
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