Hawker in Chinatown gets called out for offering free rojak to unvaccinated seniors

While two more unvaccinated seniors have died from Covid-19 complications on Thursday (Sept 30) — bringing the total number of fatalities to 95 — a hawker stall in Chinatown Complex was criticised for offering free food to the elderly who have yet to take the jab.

According to Shin Min Daily News, a poster displayed by Joo Chiat Nonya Laksa on Monday said that the free rojak, worth four dollars, is for "unvaccinated seniors only".

Speaking to reporters from the Chinese evening daily on Wednesday, the stall owner named Wang, 62, said his giveaway is meant to encourage the unvaccinated elderly to get the jab and to help bring in more patrons to the hawker centre.

"When they collect the food, I will advise them to get vaccinated. After completing the two doses a month later, they can collect another free packet of rojak," he said.

Wang added that when workers from the hawker centre informed him that the wording of his poster had caused controversy, he immediately replaced it with a new one that displayed the words "get vaccinated" and it has clarified that the promotion is for "for unvaccinated seniors [aged] 60 and above only".

Wang also revealed that depending on the response, he plans to give away 100 packets of rojak. He will also request them to show their vaccination status before they can claim the freebie.

[[nid:543975]]

Speaking to reporters from the Chinese evening daily, another hawker, who declined to be named, said that she only noticed the poster after diners asked her about it.

"The word 'free' at the top makes it very eye-catching. But after seeing the contents of the poster, it'll inevitably cause panic," she said.

The hawker added that while this is a promotional tactic, the safety of diners and other stall owners should be taken into consideration.

A member of the public named Ho said that when he heard about the "free rojak" offer, he felt that it was improper.

The 56-year-old said: "The number of coronavirus cases have been rising recently, how can they use this kind of method to attract customers? And it's outrageous to indicate that it's only for the elderly who have a higher risk of infection."

The Agency for Integrated Care on Thursday has called for all seniors aged 60 and above, especially those who are unvaccinated, to stay at home for the next four weeks while the Covid-19 situation stabilises.

The advisory comes after Singapore recorded 2,478 new cases, bringing the total to 96,521 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

ALSO READ: More seniors in Singapore get their Covid-19 jabs after vaccination teams go to the heartland

chingshijie@asiaone.com