Coronavirus: experts say Singapore’s new social distancing laws hard to enforce, but send needed signal

Individuals who intentionally stand less than one metre away from another person in a queue are among those liable for a fine and/or six months in jail

Legal analysts say the measures will show that a whole-of-society approach is needed to stem the spread of Covid-19

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A worker puts tape on stools as a social distancing marker at a food centre in Singapore. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 6:30pm, 27 Mar 2020Updated: 11:47pm, 27 Mar 2020

Singapore on Thursday updated its infectious diseases act to include new laws governing social distancing, with analysts suggesting the measures could be hard to enforce but would send a signal that a whole-of-society approach was needed to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Individuals who intentionally stand in a queue less than one metre away from another individual will contravene the act – as will those who sit on a fixed seat that has been marked as not to be occupied, or those who sit down less than one metre away from another person in a public place.

As part of the updates, which took effect on Friday, offenders can be fined up to S$10,000 (US$6,950), jailed for up to six months, or both.

Chooi Jing Yen, partner at Singapore law firm Eugene Thuraisingam LLP, said there was a “very strong symbolic element” to the new regulations.

He said he believed the authorities did not have the intention of going after every person who flouted them, nor was he under the illusion that the government had the resources to do so.