Smoker's attempt at shaming an enforcement officer backfires on him

It's only been slightly over a week since Singapore entered the circuit breaker but hundreds of people have already been fined for breaking the rules.

As enforcement officers continue to patrol the streets and remind locals to abide by safety measures, not everyone is receptive.

A man has gone viral overnight after a video he took of himself scolding and ridiculing an enforcement officer was reposted on Facebook last night (April 16) — except reactions from netizens were not in his favour.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.ng.9404362/videos/720669038739058/[/embed]

The man had been smoking outside Bukit Batok MRT when the officer approached him for not complying with the measures.

In the video filmed by himself, the man can be heard aggressively asking the officer: "Am I commit a crime right now? (sic)"

He then questioned if he should be wearing a mask while smoking, or if he wasn't allowed to smoke at all, even going so far as to ask if "Grab riders" like him were expected to eat with their masks on.

Despite the enforcement officer's patient attempts at explaining that it wasn't a crime, though being outside meant having to wear a mask at all times, the man grew increasingly agitated.

He retorted: "Did the government mention proper or not? Never. (sic)"

"You must make thing clear you know, we are Singaporean eh. (sic)"

Most Singaporeans, however, wanted nothing to do with that association and instead lambasted the man for making the enforcement officer's job more difficult that it had to be.

"The rest of us do not agree with you," one commenter wrote.

According to the frequently asked questions section of the Ministry of Health website, it states that only those who are out doing essential tasks may smoke in an area where smoking is not prohibited, after which they must immediately don their mask.

They are also expected to comply with safe distancing measures while smoking.

Otherwise, they are advised to stay home and completely avoid going out. 

rainercheung@asiaone.com

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.