A hawker selling duck rice at Geylang Bahru Marker and Food Centre was fined $300 for taking his mask off to taste the sauce for his duck rice, according to Shin Min Daily News.
The incident happened on 14 November and the stall owner, Wang Rongfu, said that he was chopping the duck meat at the time and there were about 20 customers in the queue.
He noticed that he was running low on the sauce for the dish and was reaching over to a new batch, removing his mask to taste the sauce to make sure it was okay before serving.
But after doing so, he was then asked for his personal particulars by a group of safe distancing ambassadors.
He said that he was told that he did not wear a mask and violated with the rules, and that if he didn’t cooperate, the police would be called in.
Wang said that there were customers waiting at the time and he was afraid that his business would be suspended, so he complied with the instructions at the time.
The next day, he tried to explain himself to the authorities but to no avail.
He said that he took off his mask for less than 10 seconds and didn’t expect to get a fine for $300, and that he would need to pay it before 16 December.