Singapore ‘revokes Britons’ work permits over lockdown bar crawl’

Foreign Office says ‘a number of British men’ have lost right to work in city-state

Several Britons have been banned from working in Singapore after reportedly going on a bar crawl during lockdown.

Six people found guilty this week of breaching anti-coronavirus measures have had their work permits revoked, authorities said.

They had meet-ups near the city-state's Robertson Quay while social gatherings were banned to limit the spread of the virus, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MoM).

Local media reported four out of seven people found guilty on 25 June for flouting lockdown rules at the wharf were British nationals.

An Foreign Office spokesperson said:“We have provided consular assistance to a number of British men in Singapore who have had their permission to work revoked.”

A court heard how four Britons bumped into each other at a bar in Robertson Quay in May, while bars were open for take-out service only, according to the BBC.

They got drinks at a bar before moving on to two places nearby, The Straits Times reported. The men reportedly stood chatting and drinking outside an Italian restaurant for nearly half an hour.

These men were all fined S$9,000 (£5,200) each over the incident, according to the Singaporean newspaper.

The MoM said 140 people have lost their work passes since May for breaking anti-coronavirus measures.

Six of these were found guilty on 25 June in conjunction with incidents at Robertson Quay.

Singapore has one of Asia’s highest tallies of Covid-19, largely fuelled by mass outbreaks in migrant workers’ dormitories.

In mid-June, the tiny city-state lifted most of its curbs on socialising, shopping and dining out after more than two months of coronavirus lockdown.

More than 42,700 people have been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 in Singapore as of Friday, according to a Reuters global tally.

The country's death toll stands at 26.

Additional reporting by agencies