New Year's Eve gathering at Clarke Quay 'potential superspreading event': COVID-19 task force

SINGAPORE: A New Year’s Eve gathering at Clarke Quay involved some "blatant breaches" of safe management measures and "is a potential superspreading event", the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force said on Sunday (Jan 2). 

Videos circulating on social media showed crowds of people gathered in front of Riverside Point in the Clarke Quay area to ring in the new year on Dec 31.

"Enforcement agencies are looking into the matter," the taskforce added, noting such events were "suspended or curtailed" in many countries this year. 

"We would like to remind everyone that we are still in the middle of a pandemic crisis, and we still need to exercise civic responsibility," it said. 

As a society, Singapore has done what it can to "build up our resilience", said the task force. Authorities urged members of the public to follow COVID-19 rules so that "the situation will continue to improve, and we can look forward to 2022 being a significantly more normal year". 

In a statement on Sunday evening, a Clarke Quay spokesperson said the "impromptu" gathering did not occur at CapitaLand's Clarke Quay property, but at buildings in the Clarke Quay precinct. "Safety of our customers is our top priority," the spokesperson added, urging revellers to "have a good time responsibly".