bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

TODAY

Two Singapore youths were on Thursday charged in court after they allegedly drank two bottles of fruit juice at a supermarket, then placed them back on a refrigerated shelf amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Quek Xuan Zhi and Nigel Pang Yew Ming, both 17, each face one charge of committing an act of public nuisance with common intention.
Their charge sheets stated that they allegedly committed the offence on February 6, at the NTUC FairPrice supermarket at the HomeTeamNS clubhouse in Bukit Batok.
If convicted, they could each be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$2,000, or be punished with both.
Singapore thought they had Covid-19 under control, then cases spiralled
The duo were arrested after a police report was lodged on Feb 8 over a video that showed one of the youths drinking a beverage at a FairPrice supermarket and placing it back on the shelf.
One of the youths had uploaded the video onto his private Instagram account, but the video started making its rounds on social media after an acquaintance recorded a copy and posted it online.
In the video, a young man in a white T-shirt can be seen taking a drink from a refrigerated shelf at the supermarket before taking a swig from it, while another male – who appears to be recording the incident – asked how the drink tasted.
Accompanying the video was the caption “how to spread wuhan”, in an apparent reference to the coronavirus outbreak.
Singapore sees highest daily spike as virus spreads in migrant worker dorms
In a statement on February 10, NTUC FairPrice noted that the creators of the video had made a public apology and shared that they had removed the items from the shelves and paid for them.
Nevertheless, referring to the video as a “prank video”, the supermarket chain pointed out that the matter was regarded “very seriously” as it had caused unnecessary alarm to members of the public, exacerbated by the coronavirus situation.
In a statement on Wednesday, the police said they “will not tolerate any actions that stoke undue public alarm, especially during this period of heightened sensitivity”.
In court on Thursday, Quek’s lawyer Tan Hee Joek asked for a gag order to be imposed on his client’s identity, citing new provisions under the Children and Young Persons Act that were passed in Parliament to protect offenders below age 18 but have not come into force yet.
Singapore bans public, private gatherings of any size in virus fight
“Given the high media attention, (I urge the court to) consider to protect his identity in the meantime since he is only a 17-year-old,” Tan said, adding that his client is likely to plead guilty to the public nuisance charge.
But District Judge Adam Nakhoda rejected the gag order application after Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh stated that there was no legal basis for it.
Pang was not represented by a lawyer on Thursday.
Quek and Pang are set to return to court on May 8. They remain out on S$3,000 bail each. 
Read the original article on Today Online.


Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotels sees ‘bleisure’ boom after pandemic curbs, CEO says

US could require US$15,000 bonds for some tourist, business visas

China’s Shenzhen, Guangzhou airports hit record highs, surpass pre-Covid passenger levels

Landmark US Chinatown survived Covid, anti-Asian violence – but tariffs pose new threat

Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus: Singapore teens charged with public nuisance for drinking from bottles, putting them back on supermarket shelf

One of the boys shared a video of the alleged antics on his private Instagram account, but it started going viral after someone recorded a copy and posted it elsewhere. Photo: Screengrab/Twitter

Coronavirus: Singapore couple arrested for leaking notice of school closures

A cyclist wearing a face mask rides past Singapore’s Central Business District on Friday. Photo: EPA

epaselect epa08341045 A man wearing a protective face mask walks past the Marina Bay Sand buildings in the Central Business District (CBD) area in Singapore, 03 April 2020. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on 03 April 2020 that the city state will close schools and most workplaces except for essential services next week as part of the government's stricter measures to combat the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. EPA-EFE/HOW HWEE YOUNG

Students wearing face masks, as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, walk home from school in Singapore on March 25, 2020. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP)

Coronavirus Singapore: 100 to 1,000 infections in one month. What happened?

Shopping assistants at the Bugis Junction mall in Singapore. Photo: EPA

People in protective face masks are seen at a mall, as mall capacity is regulated in a series of social distancing measures to curb the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Singapore March 27, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

epa08323663 People sit in a restaurant where social distancing signs are seen on chairs at an eatery in a shopping mall in Singapore, 26 March 2020. The Singapore government announced on 26 Mar 2020 a further 48.4 billion Singapore dollars (30.7 billion euros) supplementary budget to support businesses, workers and families during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. This will draw on national reserves for the first time since the global financial crisis and push up the total amount of virus related relief to 55 billion Singapore dollars (35 billion euros) or 11 per cent of gross domestic product GDP. EPA-EFE/HOW HWEE YOUNG

Coronavirus: Singapore sees highest daily spike in cases amid spread in migrant worker dormitories

Migrant workers in Singapore are living in fear following a surge of coronavirus infections in their dormitories, where they say cramped and filthy conditions make social distancing impossible. Photo: AFP

(200409) -- SINGAPORE, April 9, 2020 (Xinhua) -- A foreign worker waits to get medical check near the Toh Guan Dormitory in Singapore on April 8, 2020. Singapore confirmed 142 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a new daily record, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its daily update. Of these, 140 are local cases and two are imported, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 1,623 since the first case was reported on Jan. 23. (Ministry of Manpower Singapore/Handout via Xinhua)

(FILES) This file photo taken on April 6, 2020 shows foreign workers hanging out along the corridor of the S11 Dormitory @ Punggol, where there are numerous cases of individuals with the COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Singapore. - Migrant workers in Singapore are living in fear following a surge of coronavirus infections in their dormitories where they say cramped and filthy conditions make social distancing impossible. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP) / TO GO WITH Health-virus-Singapore-migration,FOCUS by Catherine Lai and Sam Reeves

Coronavirus: Singapore bans public and private gatherings of any size in outbreak fight

A food centre in the central business district of Singapore. Photo: AFP

Coronavirus: What are the lockdown measures and travel bans in Asia?

A man in a face mask walks past barriers blocking access to buildings in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, epicentre of China's coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Reuters

epa08338253 An empty street in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 02 April 2020. The country has reported nearly 2,300 active cases of COVID-19 as of 02 April. EPA-EFE/FAZRY ISMAIL

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Coronavirus


The boys, both 17, allegedly drank two bottles of fruit juice at a supermarket then returned them to a refrigerated shelf
If convicted, they could each be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$2,000, or be punished with both



The boys, both 17, allegedly drank two bottles of fruit juice at a supermarket then returned them to a shelf.


Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

Coronavirus Singapore

Singapore

Crime