SINGAPORE - Twenty-eight employers have been fined $1,000 each for failing to comply with safe distancing measures for workers who are ferried by lorries.

From today, transport companies and lorry drivers will also be fined for the same offence, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a Facebook post on Friday (April 17).

These 28 employers were caught after their lorries were stopped and checked in an islandwide multi-agency enforcement operation by the MOM, Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Traffic Police that started on Monday.

Another four employers are being investigated.

Stricter measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 kicked in on Monday requiring employers and lorry owners to review the maximum seating capacity of their vehicles, so that workers can maintain a safe distance of 1m from one another while seated.

The MOM said that more companies have implemented safe distancing measures when transporting workers, and urged those that have not done so to comply without delay.

It also warned that the enforcement operation will be sustained throughout the circuit breaker period.

An employer who contravenes the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 faces a fine of up to $10,000 or a jail term of up to six months, or both. The penalties are doubled for repeat offenders.