It has been just about a month since the first case of COVID-19 landed in Singapore, but Ms Patricia Zhuang has already had her pay cut by half, to just under S$1,000. The 37-year-old sales staff at Vivy Boutique, an apparel store at Novena Square, was converted from a full-time employee to a part-time staff as part of her company’s cost-cutting measures. It’s a similar story for Mr Rex Xu, a manager at Ker’s Hair Salon, over at Jurong East. The decline in the number of customers at the hair salon has led to a drop in his commission, resulting in an overall 50 per cent dip in income, said the 32-year-old. “If this continues, we cannot survive. We need to eat and pay rent,” he said. Businesses in the retail and F&B sectors have borne the brunt of the sharp drop in tourist arrivals and weak consumer spending among Singaporeans. And it is not just retail outlets at tourist spots that have been affected. Businesses in the heartlands from Simei to Jurong East also reported a slump in sales.... Continue Reading