COVID-19: 140 work passes revoked for circuit breaker breaches, including 6 Robertson Quay offenders
SINGAPORE — Six of the seven people who were fined on Thursday (25 June) for flouting circuit breaker measures by gathering for drinks at Robertson Quay had have their work passes revoked.
According to a media release by Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Thursday, these individuals have also been permanently banned from working in Singapore. The ministry did not reveal which of the seven people were banned.
“All work-pass holders in Singapore must abide by the law,” it said in the media release.
“MOM will continue to take enforcement actions against work pass holders who do not comply with the requirements, including the revocation of work passes. This is regardless of the work pass holder’s nationality and pass type.”
Fined between $8,000 and $9,000
All seven had pleaded guilty to one count of breaching circuit breaker measures by meeting at least one person from a different household for "chatting and drinks" on 16 May.
Four of them – Neil Gordon Buchan, 30; James Titus Beatt, 33; Joseph William Poynter, 35; and Perry Scott Blair, 38 – were each fined $9,000. The remaining three – Michael Czerny, 45; Jeffrey George Brown, 52; and Bao Nguyen Brown, 40 – were each fined $8,000.
Two other men were charged in a related incident at the same area: Alfred Jon Veloso Waring, 34, and Olagunju Daniel Olalekan Olasunkanmi, 30. They are expected to be back in court on 7 July.
Photographs of crowds along Robertson Quay, which showed people not wearing face masks properly and failing to keep a distance of one metre from one another, went viral on social media last month.
140 work passes revoked from 1 May to 25 June
MOM said that, between 1 May and 25 June, it has revoked the work passes of 140 holders for breaching circuit breaker measures, Stay-Home Notices (SHN) or Quarantine Orders (QO).
Of the 140 work passes revoked, 42 breached their SHN or QO when they were caught outside their residences.
Another 98 were caught breaching circuit breaker measures. These individuals were found eating, drinking and gathering in groups in public during the circuit breaker. These took place at various locations such as dormitories, private residential areas, East Coast Park and Robertson Quay.
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