Clarke Quay NY eve gathering: 4 charged with breaching Covid-19 safety rules
Four people linked to a New Year's Day gathering at Clarke Quay were charged on Tuesday (Jan 25) for flouting Covid-19 rules.
Harjaz Singh, William Alexander Brooks-Potts, Verma Pulkit and Kotra Venkata Sai Rohankrishna, aged between 19 and 22, faced charges including for failing to keep a 1m safe distance and not wearing a mask near Read Bridge at Clark Quay at midnight on Jan 1.
Kotra faces an additional charge for allegedly attending a gathering, in a Spiderman costume, with three others, where he interacted with about 20 people.
Their interaction included recording video interviews and taking pictures.
The court heard that for Verma and Singh, the prosecution intends to tender an additional charge, related to breaching Covid-19 rules.
Their ages and nationalities were not stated in court documents.
All four men are scheduled to be in court next on Feb 8.
The incident, which was captured on video and uploaded on social media, is believed to have involved hundreds in a spontaneous countdown party in front of Riverside Point.
The multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19 said earlier this month that the gathering led to blatant breaches of safe management rules, calling it a potential superspreading event.
Videos showed the rowdy crowd cheering, singing, celebrating and counting down to the New Year.
On Monday, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said another four people at that event have been fined $1,000 each for breaching safe management measures.
Those found guilty of breaching Covid-19 regulations can receive a fine not exceeding $10,000, a jail term of up to six months, or both.
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