A 57-year-old resident in Marsiling, had reportedly hidden $14,000 in cash inside his shirt pocket, and his wife then threw his shirt out at the void deck without knowing there was money inside.

The man, Mr Zhuo, spoke to Shin Min Daily News and shared his heartbreak about losing his $14,000.

The incident happened on 30 September at Block 116 Marsiling Rise, and Mr Zhuo’s wife was cleaning their home at the time.

She decided to throw away his old clothes, discarding them inside a rubbish bin at their block’s void deck, without knowing that there were 14 $1,000 notes inside one of the shirts.

Zhuo told SMDN that he started collecting the $1,000 notes after MAS announced that the notes would no longer be printed from 2021 onwards.

He exchanged his money for a few more $1,000 notes after the announcement and hid the money inside the pocket of his old shirt because he was worried about being robbed.

But he had apparently forgotten to tell his wife about the money that he hid.

Zhuo then called the police after the money was discarded along with his shirt, and he also pasted notices with copies of the police report at the void deck in the hopes that someone would step forward with information.

He also added that he thinks his clothes have been taken away by scavengers in the area.

A 69-year-old elderly cleaner died after a lorry reversed into him at Hougang 1 Mall, taking the total number of workplace deaths for this year to 38.

The Ministry of Manpower said in a press release that the incident happened on 3 October at Hougang 1 shopping mall at about 9.50am.

The victim was an employee of Avon Cleaning Services.

The elderly man was at the loading and unloading bay of the shopping mall at the time when he got hit by a lorry that was reversing.

He was sent to Sengkang General Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

The total number of workplace casualties for this year has since risen to 38, which is higher than the whole of 2021 (37).

A mandatory safety time-out was also conducted last month by MOM for companies in sectors that are deemed to be high risk.

Facebook user Gal Goh shared how her landlord is asking for $1,000 in compensation for a cracked toilet bowl tank cover.

The unit (presumably referring to the toilet bowl tank cover) is apparently 20 years old and not in the market anymore.

Goh added that during the 2 weeks after handing over the unit back to the landlord, the latter allegedly refused to let her take a second look at the damaged toilet bowl.

The landlord allegedly demanded a “Bravat” brand cover which costs about $1,000 plus, including the installation fees.

Here is what she said (SIC)

Dear advisors,

Im unlucky to handle a crack bowl cover during my rental stay.

This is a 20yo unit but owner asking for more than $1000 compensation as is an obsolete model. (mean this model not in market at anymore)

During the 2 weeks period after hand over period, owner refused to let me take a second look so to offer another comparable brand with the right bowl setting at a reasonable price but insisted that she wants a Bravat@$802 which she quoted after installation is $1k++.

My New add on. I would like compensate $500. 20yo toilet bowl depreciate after 20y for bravat too.
New add on: tqvm for all your responses

The Ministry of Manpower said in a press release on 7 October that from 1 January 2023 onwards, all maids will get a mandatory rest day every month.

MOM said that employers must provide the rest day to the domestic helpers and it cannot be compensated away.

The new requirements are part of the measures announced by MOM last year to provide maids some time to unwind and build support networks outside the households where they work.

MOM’s statement

From 1 January 2023, all employers must provide their migrant domestic workers (MDWs)¹ at least one rest day a month that cannot be compensated away².  This is part of the measures announced by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) last year to allow MDWs to rest and recharge from work, as well as form networks of support outside the household. MOM has also developed a guide to support employers and MDWs in initiating early conversations on the rest day arrangements, and to help employers plan for alternative arrangements for the household, if required.

Rest day arrangements must be mutually agreed upon

MDWs and employers should come to a mutual agreement on the rest day arrangements. Arrangements for the monthly rest day can be implemented flexibly to suit the needs of both employer and MDW. For example:

• The rest day can be taken as one full day or over two half-days. It can also be taken on any day of the week.
• The MDW may choose to spend her rest day at home.
• The rest day can be deferred by up to one calendar month. This means that, should both parties agree to defer the rest day in that month, the MDW should take her rest day by the end of the subsequent month.

To support MDWs and employers, MOM has developed a guide which can help employers and MDWs discuss and agree on how the mandatory rest day will be taken. The guide also includes suggested rest day activities that MDWs can consider, and alternative care options that employers may tap on for their household’s needs. We urge employers, particularly those whose households have caregiving needs, to start conversations with their MDWs early and plan for alternative arrangements if required.

We would also like to remind employers to update their MDW’s rest day information via the MDW eServices portal. Employers who require further information or advice on the rest day arrangement may call MOM’s hotline at 6438 5122.     

The Ministry of Health said in a press release on 7 October that Singapore will be lifting the Vaccination-Differentiated Restrictions with effect from 10 October.

There will no longer be checks conducted on the vaccination statuses of patrons, attendees at events with more than 500 people, nightlife establishments with dancing, and dining in at eateries including hawker centres.

At the moment, VDS checks are mandatory at events with more than 500 attendees, while F&B outlets do not need to check the vaccination statuses of customers, random spot checks are done by the authorities.

However, with effect from 10 October, all that will no longer be the case.

Snippet of MOH’s press release

We have learned to live with the COVID-19 virus, having weathered several infection waves and progressively lifted SMMs. As we resume normalcy in our daily activities, we will lift VDS fully from 10 October 2022. This means that VDS will no longer be required for (i) events with more than 500 participants at any one time, (ii) nightlife establishments where dancing among patrons is one of the intended activities, and (iii) dining in at F&B establishments, including hawker centres.

VDS has served us well in our journey to safe reopening, helping to protect non-fully vaccinated persons by reducing their exposure to settings with a higher risk of transmission, and in turn keeping our healthcare system from being overwhelmed when population-wide vaccination and infection rates were not yet sufficiently high. However, even as VDS is lifted, non-fully vaccinated persons continue to face a higher risk of severe disease. We urge such persons to come forward to be vaccinated, or continue to take their own precautions and minimise social interactions to protect themselves.

While we have eased most SMMs at this juncture, we must continue to remain vigilant and be ready to respond to any dangerous new variants. Should the situation worsen, we may need to put in place the necessary measures at short notice, so as to protect the public, safeguard our healthcare workers and conserve hospital capacity. This may include standing up an appropriate level of VDS, as was necessary during the height of the pandemic.

We urge everyone to continue to exercise personal and social responsibility through maintaining hygiene, testing and minimizing social interactions when unwell, and keeping up-to-date with vaccinations. These steps will allow our society to be more resilient as we progress steadily towards living with COVID-19 and the new variants that emerge from time to time.

It was previously reported that 6 people were stuck inside a stalled lift with a dead body during a funeral procession.

The group of 6 were trapped inside the lift for about 50 minutes with the deceased, before being rescued by the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

The West Coast Town Council has since apologised for the incident and addressed the incident, according to TODAY.

Lift was overloaded

The town council said that according to preliminary findings, the lift was overloaded at the time of the incident, adding that the capacity limit of the lift was 545kg.

They said that the overloading of the lift’s capacity caused it to overshoot its landing at the ground level, and the difference between the levelling of the lift and its landing triggered a safety mechanism.

The activation of the safety mechanism resulted in the door of the lift being shut and trapping the people inside, but the lights and fans were still functioning.

The town council said that upon the occurrence of the incident, a lift rescue team was immediately activated.

“Sorry for the incident”

West Coast Town Council also apologised to the family of the deceased, saying “we would like to apologise to the family for the unpleasant experience.”

The SCDF said that they received a call for help at about 2.05pm, and when officers arrived, lift technicians were already at the scene trying to open the doors.

The SCDF used hydraulic equipment to create a gap between the lift doors to improve the ventilation for the trapped people inside.

They were eventually freed at about 2.45pm after the doors were opened by technicians, and one person was assessed for breathing difficulties but declined conveyance to the hospital.

Lift was last serviced 2 weeks ago

West Coast Town Council said that all the lifts in the areas are serviced on a monthly basis, and the affected lift was last serviced on 26 September.

They added that there were no faults detected in the lift over the past 3 months, and a detailed inspection was also conducted after the incident and no faults were found.