Comedian gets heckled online for his Safe Distancing Ambassador Halloween costume

What’s makes for a topical Halloween costume? Aside from an anthropomorphic representation of 2020, another startling sight would be a Safe Distancing Ambassador (SDA) patrolling the streets to enforce the rules. 

Jaarvis Ali, an aspiring Singaporean comedian, brought the frights and the laughs in his Halloween costume as an SDA while out and about over the weekend. 

The presence of SDAs, however, shouldn’t be frightening; they’re just people tasked with the responsibility of ensuring everyone stays safe amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The physically demanding job includes dealing with unruly behaviour and reminding the public to take the necessary steps — including keeping their masks on at all times and keep a safe distance from each other — to reduce the chances of spreading the contagious virus. 

On Saturday (Oct 31), the comedian thought that it’d be hilarious to drop by Arab Street dressed as an SDA with a simple get-up of a red polo tee and a lanyard around his neck. The “ambassador” in SDA was switched to “ambassadog”. 

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/justjaarvis/photos/a.2207944435957613/3358202087598503[/embed]

The irony here is that he’s not wearing his mask in multiple pictures, even in his mock role. 

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/justjaarvis/posts/3358691184216260[/embed]

But it would seem that the decidedly non-elaborate costume was enough to legitimately spook people. 

As his post went viral on Facebook to the tune of more than 3,000 shares, some netizens took offence at his choice of Halloween attire. 

However, Jaarvis himself later clarified what he meant by "ambassadog". 

ilyas@asiaone.com