SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health has ordered the immediate closure of UniverCell Mobile Market, a shop selling mobile phones and accessories in Serangoon Road, after finding it to be severely overcrowded and lacking proper crowd management controls.

The ministry added that it has reasons to believe that the conditions in the shop are likely to cause a spread of Covid-19.

The shop is located just 500m away from Mustafa Centre, which was closed on April 4 for two weeks after it was identified as a cluster with 11 cases on April 2.

MOH said in a press release on Monday (April 6) that on April 5 at about 1pm, officers from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) conducted safe distancing checks at UniverCell Mobile Market and found its premises “severely overcrowded”.

The shop was also found to lack proper crowd management controls, such as limiting the number of customers in the premises and ensuring a minimum of one metre of spacing between customers.

Despite verbal warnings given by STB officers, the shop continued to be overcrowded when officers returned at about 7.15pm on the same day.

An advisory letter was issued by STB officers, said MOH.

At 2pm on Monday, the MOH issued the order for the shop to close, under Section 19 of the Infectious Diseases Act. The shop must be closed for 14 days, and its owners must cleanse and disinfect the premises during this period.

UniverCell Mobile Market has complied and will remain closed after the 14-day period till May 4, under the elevated safe distancing measures implemented by the multi-ministry taskforce overseeing the Covid-19 crisis.

In addition, the owners must implement measures to ensure the abatement of any overcrowding or any other conditions that may contribute to the likelihood of an outbreak or spread of Covid-19 at its premises.

“MOH will not hesitate to take action against any individual or business that violates the Infectious Diseases Act. We urge everyone to observe the safe distancing measures that have been put in place, and to be socially responsible,” said the ministry.