Bukit Merah hawkers, shops to get S$250 cash after businesses hit by tuberculosis scare

[The_King]

SINGAPORE: Shop owners and hawkers in Bukit Merah whose businesses were affected by a spate of tuberculosis cases will get S$250 (US$185) in cash assistance.

The one-off grant will be given to stalls at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre, as well as shops operating at Blocks 1, 2 and 7 Jalan Bukit Merah, MP for the area Eric Chua told CNA on Friday (Feb 16).

 

The move is a joint effort by the Queenstown Citizens Consultative Committee and the Central Singapore Community Development Council in view of the poor business conditions, Mr Chua said. 

"This cash grant is a show of the Queenstown grassroots organisations’ solidarity with our ABC hawkers and local businesses, and will be disbursed by the end of February," he said.

The MP said he has also appealed to the authorities for rental and conservancy rebates, and details of these are being finalised. 

Hawkers at ABC Brickworks previously told CNA that sales plummeted after news of tuberculosis cases emerged in early January. 

Patrons shunned the popular food centre for fear of being infected, even though ministers and MPs tried to dispel worries by posting photos on social media of themselves dining there.

 

Weeks later, business has improved but some customers are still staying away, hawkers said.

Mandatory screening for tuberculosis in the area began on Jan 11 after 10 active cases were detected, linked to a cluster first uncovered in 2022. 

For this exercise, screening was mandatory for those who live and work in Blocks 1 and 3 Jalan Bukit Merah, workers at ABC Brickworks, and clients and staff of Thong Kheng Seniors Activity Centre.

Two infectious cases of tuberculosis were detected from the 2,548 people screened for the disease. Another 322 people were diagnosed with latent tuberculosis infection and 66 people had to undergo further evaluation. The rest tested negative.

Those with latent tuberculosis infection cannot spread the disease, which is endemic here and curable if treated early, said the Ministry of Health.

 

But some people are still worried, said one regular customer at ABC Brickworks who was enjoying a bowl of fried tofu when CNA spoke to him on Wednesday. 

"They do not know what is tuberculosis. The problem is ignorance," said Mr Tommy Tan, 76, who owns a salad stall in Bukit Merah that is outside the affected area. 

Tuberculosis is an airborne disease caused by a bacterium that usually affects the lungs but can affect parts of the body. Common symptoms include a persistent cough that lasts three weeks or longer, low-grade fever, night sweats, fatigue, weight loss, chest pain and coughing up blood or sputum. 

Transmission of the tuberculosis bacteria from active cases usually requires prolonged exposure – days to weeks of exposure. A person cannot get tuberculosis from sharing cups, utensils or food. 

Workers at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre were required to go for tuberculosis screening. (Photo: CNA/Koh Wan Ting)

Some stalls at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre were closed on Feb 14, 2024, due to Chinese New Year. (Photo: CNA/Koh Wan Ting)

SOME QUEUES, BUT BUSINESS STILL DOWN

When CNA visited on Wednesday afternoon, queues were seen at a handful of stalls in the food centre, with tables mostly occupied for lunch. 

 

Some stalls remained closed due to Chinese New Year. 

Stall assistant Habib Sultan said business was back to about 70 per cent of what it was before the tuberculosis cases, but that could be because fewer stalls than usual were open. 

The 30-year-old said he used to buy six to seven packets of yellow noodles to cook for his Indian-Muslim stall, but now buys just three to four packets. 

Similarly, kueh stall owner Mohamed Zaid has cut down on his food preparation. While he used to make more than 300 items, including curry puffs and goreng pisang, this number has halved since business slowed in January. 

"Usually morning, at the start of the day, customers will come here every day for breakfast. I have not seen them for a long time already, even until now," said Mr Zaid, 57, of some regular customers. 

Business for him is also at 70 per cent of what it used to be. Only 10 per cent of the stalls at ABC Brickworks had queues, he added. 

At a braised duck rice stall, a queue of up to five customers was seen during lunch hour. But 45-year-old Mr Tan, who runs the stall, said this was not as good as before.

"I see a lot of stalls are still not open so (the customers) have fewer choices. That's why they queue here," said Mr Tan, who declined to give his full name. 

His business fell by about 50 per cent when news of the tuberculosis cases broke. While the situation now is "a bit" better, it's still "too early to say", said Mr Tan.   

A long queue seen at a Hokkien mee stall at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre at Bukit Merah on Feb 14, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Koh Wan Ting)

Sales at a bakery in the food centre plunged so drastically that its 68-year-old employee Lim Lian Huat had his pay cut by half in January. 

The stall assistant, who has been working at the bakery for one-and-a-half years, said business only picked up slightly at the start of February. The stall still has to cope with a monthly rental of S$3,500 and hundreds in utilities bills, he added.

"I am a retiree so it's okay. If I had to support a wife and children on half pay I would be in trouble," Mr Lim said in Mandarin, adding that the bakery is only selling around half of what it used to. 

Mr John Lim, 29, who works at his family's bakery selling cheese tarts and other snacks in the food centre, said customers are returning but a fear of the disease lingers. 

The stall's orders for Chinese New Year goodies, such as love letters and pineapple tarts, dropped by around 30 per cent compared with previous years. 

The stall saw a slow start to their first day of business on Wednesday following the festive break. 

"Usually our tapioca kueh, around at this hour at nearly 12pm would mostly be sold out," said Mr Lim, gesturing at a mound of the yellow layered cake on display. 

"It's still there, that means business hasn't improved or it's improving but not good enough, not back to the past."

 

Source: CNA/wt(cy)

[chamfer]

Should have given discount in rent instead of $250.

[aaur4man]

derisory amount $250. for beggar ?!