I am deeply saddened by the cancellation of CNY bazaar in Chinatown this year. Although we know the reason why the event was cancelled, I believe the organiser, Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng CCC, could have devised more viable ways and put in concerted efforts to work around the foreseeable logistical problems. Similar to strict safety measures previously introduced for managing the public at various wet markets across the island, it is still possible to effectively curb the spread of Covid-19 at the Chinatown bazaar. I thus cannot understand why this cannot be done for the bazaar. Understandably, with the reduction of people patronising the bazaar, stallholders’ income would inevitably decline, as reported by the media during the last CNY period. Their plight could be mitigated by organisers charging the stallholders lower rentals. I now wonder if the River Hongbao outdoor carnival held at the Float@Marina Bay, which is a regular feature during CNY, will also be cancelled because of the pandemic.... Continue Reading