Singapore’s First Local Covid Cluster: Retail Rumble
Picture this: a group of Chinese tourists cruise through Singapore from January 22‑23, strolling into twelve hotspots, only to turn those spots into probably the most chilled‑out retail playgrounds the city has ever seen.
Where the Great “Closed” Parade Was Staged
- Four of the six venues the group sashayed through were closed when The Straits Times dived in on February 6.
- Two other places were basically deserted, like a deserted beach after the tide went out.
Diamond Industries – The Jewelled Fiasco
First stop: Diamond Industries Jewellery Company in the PSA Vista office building on Harbour Drive. The shop felt like a glittering fortress after the pearl of a 40‑year‑old local employee tested positive Tuesday. The security guard, shielded by a mask and a thermometer, politely declined to comment.
It turns out the employee’s wife, a 32‑year‑old Singaporean, had already been the tour guide for the group and was the first to test positive that same day.
Yong Thai Hang – A Masked Match Made in Heaven
The same love‑birds also roamed to Yong Thai Hang, a Chinese health product shop on Lavender Road. Two of the shop’s staff snagged the virus as well.
Restaurant Rumble: Where Food Fizzled Out
- Meeting You Restaurant at 14 Hamilton Road: closed by lunchtime.
- Royal Dragon Restaurant at 2 Havelock Road: also shut down.
Retail Retreat: DFS’s Deep‑Clean Debacle
DFS’s downtown mall, D’Resort in Downtown East, along with T Galleria, stayed open but felt like a ghost town. A few lone masked tourists seemed to get a free study of the empty corridors.
The DFS spokesperson decided it was best to temporarily shut the store for a “professional deep‑cleaning and decontamination” after the Ministry of Health confirmed the group’s visit. The shop had to be cleaned more fiercely than a bed for a gold‑mine‑loving couple!”
Tracing the Trail: Who’s Gone “Well”?
- The Ministry of Health (MOH) reached out to 142 contacts.
- Almost all folks are well— only one suspect remains in isolation with test results hanging like an uncertain apple in the sky.
Journey Timeline
• The tourist crew hopped off to Malaysia, then sprinted back to Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint at 3 am on January 27.
• They left Changi Airport at 6 am that same day.
Hospital hygiene and contact tracing campaigns are now underway, inspecting every seat and every passenger from the flight that carried the group.
Wrap‑Up
So, while the first local covid cluster in Singapore might have left a ring of closed shops and half‑empty restaurants in its wake, it’s a reminder that a little vigilance goes a long way. And for the net‑humor folks: it’s not every day you see a jewellery store shut down over an employee’s bling‑out! Stay dramatic, stay safe.
