A cafe located at Duxton hill has been suspended after customers were placed too close to each other and did not adhere to the 1-meter rule.
According to Parallel Coffee Roasters Facebook page, they will be taking full responsibility for the suspension and stated that business will be greatly affected, “This closure is a blow to us, especially with the return of 5 pax dining next week,“
Food establishments are regularly visited by safety distancing ambassadors to check if the 1-meter safety distancing is in place.
Suspended from July 7 to July 16, 2021
Shortly after they were caught, they received a letter from the authorities they were told that they are required to close for over a week. They said that they have tried to keep the customers apart but they had to let customers who were outside come in to avoid the rain.
Alleged Rude Safety Distancing Ambassadors
The cafe said that the officers who were at their establishment did not behave in a professional manner, “officers J and J from URA were rude, condescending and unprofessional in the way they approached our staff and customers”,.
Here is their Facebook post:
“Regretfully, @parallelsg and @yenbarsg will be closed until Saturday, 17th July.
We were served with a notice to close with immediate effect from URA at 10pm last night. The offence was that our chairs were less than 1m apart when the SDA officers came to do a spot check on 02 JULY at 2139hrs.
We take full responsibility for the offence. Despite deploying more staff to ensure safe distancing was adhered to, we were unable to keep our customers far apart enough. We had a full house and it had just rained, which meant customers seated outdoors were moving in to avoid the rain. This is not an excuse – it is still our responsibility to ensure safe distancing measures are in place no matter the circumstances. We agree, and we will do better.
This closure is a blow to us, especially with the return of 5 pax dining next week. We implore you to help us and any F&B establishment you dine at – be responsible and understanding when asked to follow measures. We don’t set the rules, but we have to enforce them. Our livelihoods are on the line. If you don’t yet understand how strict the authorities are on these measures, we’ve been made an example of. We hope this convinces you.
To make up for the lost revenue, we will be holding what will hopefully be our last 50% sale for a while on our website. The discount will be auto-applied on any purchase, subscriptions included. This is not an opportunistic play – we simply need the revenue to make sure bills are paid and staff are taken care of. This 10-day closure comes at the back of a tough month, and its impact is harder than you think.
On a final and personal note, I hope our friends working as SDAs would consider their tone as they approach service staff. I understand it’s a difficult job, but respect for each other must surely be upheld – officers J and J from URA were rude, condescending and unprofessional in the way they approached our staff and customers, reinforcing the unfortunate notion that employees in the service sector are somehow of a lower class. This is highly disappointing, and while you expect us to uphold your rules, we can only hope that you would likewise uphold a higher standard of professionalism.”
All Images Source from: Parallel Coffee Roasters