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For more than two hours, the three women sat patiently on discoloured plastic chairs a few metres apart, dolling up their faces as cars drove past. A handful of men walking along Lorong 16 Geylang did not stop, despite the women giving them knowing smiles.Illicit trade takes a beating during coronavirus outbreak
For more than two hours, the three women sat patiently on discoloured plastic chairs a few metres apart, dolling up their faces as cars drove past. A handful of men walking along Lorong 16 Geylang did not stop, despite the women giving them knowing smiles. The trio were the only sex workers spotted at 10pm last Thursday in an area known for its licensed brothels. But this part of Geylang has now turned into a ghost town, The Straits Times observed. Following a March 26 order by the authorities to close down entertainment outlets till April 30, as one of the measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, licensed brothels have also been affected. Where pimps used to stand outside the brothels that dot Geylang Lorongs 16 to 20, now there are locked gates and unlit red lanterns. The coronavirus, which has so far claimed six lives and infected more than 1,100 people here, has explicitly changed the landscape of this red light district and ailed various vice trades. Read more