Three hawker centres across Singapore will temporarily close for scheduled cleaning between Oct. 5 and Oct. 7, with the closures affecting food operators and customers at several popular locations.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the regular cleaning exercises are carried out to maintain clean and hygienic conditions at hawker centres, which remain an important source of affordable food for Singapore residents.
The affected centres are Block 112 Jalan Bukit Merah Market and Food Centre, Serangoon Garden Market and Hong Lim Food Centre and Market. Their closure periods range from one to three days.
Block 112 Jalan Bukit Merah Market and Food Centre will be closed on Oct. 5 for cleaning. Stallholders will be unable to operate during the scheduled closure.
Serangoon Garden Market will undergo cleaning from Oct. 5 to Oct. 6, while Hong Lim Food Centre and Market will remain closed from Oct. 5 to Oct. 7.
The closures are part of Singapore’s regular maintenance programme for hawker centres. Cleaning works can include pressure washing and other deep-cleaning activities intended to keep common areas and facilities in suitable condition for both stallholders and diners.
Singapore has 123 markets and hawker centres, according to the NEA. Regular closures are scheduled throughout the year, meaning customers are advised to check the latest closure information before visiting a particular centre.
The October schedule follows another round of cleaning at 15 hawker centres during the first week of the month. Those earlier closures included Chomp Chomp Food Centre, ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre, 51 Old Airport Road Food Centre and Shopping Mall, and several other locations.
Several hawker centres are also facing longer closures for repairs and redecoration rather than routine cleaning. Kim Keat Palm Market and Food Centre at Block 22 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh is scheduled to remain closed until Dec. 13, while Block 726 Clementi West Street 2 is scheduled to remain closed until Dec. 27.
Changi Village Block 2 and 3 is likewise undergoing repairs and redecoration from Oct. 1 to Oct. 15, making it another location that customers will need to avoid during the period.
More cleaning closures are scheduled later in October. East Coast Lagoon Food Village and Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Block 210 are among the centres due to close from Oct. 12 to Oct. 14, while Golden Mile Food Centre is scheduled for cleaning from Oct. 26 to Oct. 29.
The regular maintenance programme means some hawker centres may be temporarily unavailable even though the surrounding neighbourhoods remain open. Customers planning meals at specific centres can therefore check the latest closure schedules before making a trip.
The temporary closures are intended to allow cleaning and maintenance work to be completed without normal customer traffic. Once the scheduled work is finished, the affected centres are expected to resume operations according to their respective schedules.
