A TikTok blew up over the weekend showing extreme ways Singapore is ensuring people are following COVID-19 rules.
Viewers were both appalled and sympathetic with a safe distancing officer caught on camera tediously measuring the distance between diners at an eatery in Vivo City.
“[I]s this really necessary? C’mon,” the text in the video posted on Saturday by a Mul Rahmat said. The video has amassed close to 100,000 views in two days.
The man in grey was seen taking photos of a tape measure laid on the floor that measured the distance between two tables where diners were eating. He even kneeled down to take a closer photo of the measurement.
Users called this “obnoxious” and “so stupidly unnecessary.” Others defended the man saying he was just doing his job and use of the apparatus was common.
“[He’s] just doing his job. I would hire him to do a deep cleaning of my house because I know he will be very thorough with it,” Tatabusa wrote last night.
“I see people taking measurements at the side of the roads, under bridges, or at random places often too. People are just trying to be negative acting like you’ve never seen employees of those government agencies with tools taking measurements of anything before,” Strangerpie wrote.
Singapore’s COVID-19 measures have been relaxed since last week, with social gatherings increased to five people, more people will be allowed back to offices, and safe distancing will not be required with mask-on activities. Dining, when masks are not worn, will continue to be subjected to 1-meter distancing.
It is not clear whether the officers were instructed to use tape measures while out on duty. The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment has not immediately responded to Coconuts’ request for comment.
This is not the first time the safe distancing ambassadors have whipped out their tape measures. They were seen using it to keep people in public areas seated 1 meter apart.
Singapore hit one million cases in total Saturday. Yesterday, the nation recorded 7,859 cases, a dip from the 10,000-plus daily cases in the past month. While the rate of infection has been peaking, only about 200 people are currently in need of urgent care in hospitals.
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