Fastfood restaurant McDonalds today announced the closure of all 130 outlets in Singapore, to protect its employees and customers from the coronavirus and hefty fines issued by the government. All operations including delivery and takeaway services have been closed until May 4.
Foreign investor confidence in Singapore has sank after the government failed to control the coronavirus outbreak in the country as promised. To put in perspective, McDonalds is still open in Malaysia, Indonesia and the rest of the world.
Over 5,000 workers, mostly low income workers on S$4/hr with McDonalds will be out of job temporarily and it is unknown if they will be paid.
Singapore reported 5,992 confirmed cases yesterday, with a surge of 942 new cases. The small country has the highest infection per million population in the world, and it is now the top coronavirus hotspot in South East Asia – surpassing Malaysia and Indonesia.
Despite boastings about successes and “gold standards”, the Singapore government shut down the country and restricted movements of residents like every other country. The dictatorship also implemented a “no-warning” fine of S$300 to anyone found not wearing a face mask or breaching social distancing regulation.