'Non-stop sweating': Some hawkers bemoan mask-wearing rules in hot weather

Just stepping outside to run a quick errand in Singapore's recent hot weather is enough to make anyone sweat.

So it's no wonder that hawkers are feeling double the heat — not only from cooking up dishes but also from the rising temperatures.

In a bid to keep cool, some hawkers appear to have chosen to forego wearing face masks, despite Singapore Food Agency (SFA)'s regulations requiring food handlers don masks or spit guards for public hygiene.

According to an 8world report on Tuesday (April 9), about 30 to 50 per cent of hawkers across two hawker centres in Queenstown were not wearing masks properly. Some had their masks pulled down to their chins, while others did not have one on.

Chen, a man running a beef noodle stall there likened the heat in the stall to China's Flaming Mountains, adding that it causes "non-stop sweating".

The 59-year-old pointed out that even outpatient settings such as clinics no longer require people to wear masks, and said he hopes that the authorities would consider relaxing the mask-wearing regulations for food handlers.

When asked why he did not use spit guards instead, Chen said that they are more expensive than masks and would be an additional expense for hawkers.

Zhang, a chicken rice hawker at Alexandra Village Food Centre, told 8world that enforcement officers have previously issued warnings to stall owners caught not wearing masks.

"I try to wear a mask at all times, but it gets too hot sometimes and I need to take it off to breathe better," he explained.

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Similarly, a Shin Min Daily News reporter who visited the Albert Centre Market & Food Centre on April 1 found that only about two thirds of hawkers there were wearing masks, but most had pulled the masks down to their chins.

The co-workers of a vendor who was spotted without a mask on told the Chinese newspaper they would inevitably take off their masks because of the hot weather.

Speaking to 8world, Low Hock Kee, chairman of the Hawkers' Division Central Committee of the Federation of Merchants Associations Singapore, said that they have received more feedback regarding hawkers who are unwilling to wear masks.

He noted that SFA regulations are put in place for food safety but said that hawkers taking off their masks does not necessarily mean that there will be hygiene lapses.

Low said he hopes that the authorities would reconsider the mask regulations, and suggested that enforcement officers give hawkers reminders instead of issue them warning letters.

The chairman will also be collating feedback from hawkers and submitting suggestions to the authorities.

"I believe the stall owners are under a lot of pressure and I hope the authorities can handle the matter appropriately," he said.

ALSO READ: Mask no longer required at clinics and other outpatient settings, some JTVCs to close

lim.kewei@asiaone.com