About a month ago, one day before Singapore’s “circuit breaker” or quarantine measures were implemented, I took a stroll around my neighbourhood. I saw bars and eateries, whose regular crowds were a permanent fixture in the vicinity, preparing themselves for a new mode of operation to comply with social distancing measures against COVID-19.One particular image is seared in my memory — a popular bar right below my house, empty, its tables and chairs stacked neatly inside as it prepared to limit services to food deliveries for the foreseeable future.
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I was struck by the knowledge that I was witnessing an important moment in history, a picture of how the coronavirus has affected life as we know it.I didn’t take a photo of the bar then, for fear of appearing insensitive to its imminent shuttering. But I regretted it as soon as I got home, because when else will Singapore ever look like that again?So, last weekend, I set out to capture my favourite haunts around Singapore to see what they’ve become under the lockdown. Here’s what I saw.
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