Ong Ye Kung joins TikTok, tucks into fried carrot cake at Tiong Bahru on first day of relaxed rules

What did you do on the first day of relaxed Covid-19 rules?

For Ong Ye Kung, he started off by removing his mask and walking from his office to nearby Tiong Bahru Market to have a plate of fried carrot cake, sharing his morning jaunt on TikTok. 

Taking to the video-sharing platform for the first time on Tuesday (March 29), the Health Minister also shared his happiness at being able to walk around outdoors without a mask.

"Ah, finally I get to see the faces of my staff," Ong said, addressing two of his smiling colleagues. 

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@ongyekung/video/7080412931116027137?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7073345048515053057[/embed]

While on a walkabout, Ong visited Tiong Bahru Market to chat with safe entry ambassadors about the Covid-19 measures there, before tucking into a plate of fried carrot cake, both black and white, at the hawker centre. 

Ending his rather busy morning, Ong had a chat with a staff from the Singapore General Hospital about how healthcare workers have been "working very hard" for the past two years.

"Even though social restrictions have been reduced, please be careful," he said.

After Ong's video had amassed over 100,000 views in just two hours, netizens said that they are already looking forward to more content from the TikTok newbie. 

How did Ong join the likes of Finance Minister Lawrence Wong and MP Baey Yam Keng to hop on the viral video app?

In a TikTok video shared on March 25, it showed Ong having a meal with Malaysian politician Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman while on a working visit to Kuala Lumpur.

Gushing about his "achievement" of helping Ong to be a TikToker, the former Minister of Youth and Sports wrote in the caption: "Convinced the Minister of Health of Singapore to get on TikTok."

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@syedsaddiq/video/7078312893678161179?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7073345048515053057[/embed]

chingshijie@asiaone.com