'Sovereign' woman sequel? Police investigating after woman refuses to wear mask, challenges SDA and security guard at Sun Plaza

Hot on the heels of last week's 'sovereign woman' drama that has already spawned countless memes, another woman is going viral for acting as if she's above the law.

The police are looking into an incident where a woman refused to wear a mask properly and challenged a safe-distancing ambassador (SDA) and security officer at Sun Plaza on May 7, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) told AsiaOne today (May 8).

A video of the altercation was posted on Facebook page All Singapore Stuff this morning where it has already been shared over 7,100 times (and counting).

In the clip, a SDA could be seen trying to engage with the woman, who was not wearing a mask.

However, the woman raised her voice, asking him to "back off".

"If you want to talk, remove your mask and talk," she said when the SDA tried to explain that it was mandatory to wear a mask in public.

"I can't hear what you're saying. If my ears can't hear what you're saying that means I will not be able to hear."

The woman, who was holding a surgical mask in her hand, then sat down and held the mask over her nose and mouth, saying: "This is a mask and this is how it's worn."

Turning to address the man who was filming, she asked in Mandarin: "Are you done taking pictures? Are you done talking?"

"Are you all dumb or sophisticatedly stupid?" she added, before raising the mask in the air and saying: "Cheers to you all."

The mall's security officer then arrived on the scene and attempted to talk to the woman while maintaining a safe distance.

However, the woman continued to walk towards him, saying: "You maintain the distance. You are a security officer".

He then told a person behind the camera to dial '999' before taking out his own phone and calling for backup. 

Before the video cut off, the person who was filming also claimed that he had offered her a mask, showing the camera a large bag of face masks that he was carrying.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, Sun Plaza declined to comment on the matter, saying that the incident is "still under investigation". The mall is trying its best to ensure that all shoppers are shopping in a safe environment, have their masks on and are adhering to safe distancing regulations, Sun Plaza said. 

It has been mandatory to wear a mask in public since April 14. Those caught without a mask face fines of $300 for the first offence and $1,000 for the second offence.

Additionally, abuse against Enforcement Officers (EOs) and SDAs will not be tolerated and offenders will be taken to task, MEWR had said on April 17 following a spate of cases of physical and verbal abuse from members of the public.

In a recent case, a woman, who gained notoriety after referring to herself as "sovereign", was arrested on May 5 after several confrontations with police officers and enforcement officers at Shunfu Market.

She was slapped with five charges in court on May 6 — four counts under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act and one count of being a public nuisance.

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kimberlylim@asiaone.com