Gone overboard? Couple yell at youths visiting Tampines block during circuit breaker

We're halfway into a month-long circuit breaker and being stuck at home has left many of us with frayed nerves.

So much so that some people have taken the task of 'disciplining' others flouting the safe distancing rules upon themselves.

In a video clip circulating on Facebook, a pair of residents were heard speaking harshly to a group of youths taking the lift at an HDB block along Tampines Street 22 on April 19.

"Look, there are so many people inside," a man said in Mandarin, pointing his finger at the lift.

As the doors opened, a quartet of youths sporting surgical masks covered their faces with their hands as they realised that they were being filmed on a mobile phone.

Then came a barrage of stern words from the couple.

"You are not allowed to come to people's house because of this circuit breaker [sic]," the man's wife told them. 

"No, don't cover (your face) so you can be identified! Go back inside," she shouted.

One of the youths apologised as the group stepped out of the lift while another said "We're leaving" as they made a hasty exit down the staircase.

Their actions, however, did not appease the man who continued to yell "Come here for what?"

The couple, who declined to be named, told Stomp: "The four of them were gathering and drinking beer. They have friends staying above our unit and might have been house-visiting."

"The youths are always doing this in our block and sometimes even during late nights. It's causing problems to all the residents here," the woman added.

The residents may have thwarted the youth's gathering, but have they gone too far?

While the boys may be in the wrong, there's no need to shout at them, Facebook users reasoned.

Others took issue with the background music of the clip. Another turned the tables on the residents, asking what they were doing outside of their homes when the public is asked to stay in.

On April 7, health minister Gan Kim Yong announced a new law that prohibits private gatherings of any size whether in homes or public spaces, in order to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

If you spot someone violating safe distancing rules, you could whip out your phone to take a photo and report the sighting to the authorities via the OneService app. This is to help them identify hotspots of frequent gatherings.

Under the Infectious Disease Act, first-time offenders can be fined up to $10,000 and jailed for six months. For subsequent offences, one may be fined up to $20,000, jailed for up to a year, or both.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

lamminlee@asiaone.com