With the outbreak of COVID-19 in Singapore, the once vibrant nightlife seen in the red light districts of Geylang appear to be a thing of the past.
As part of the closure of nightlife and adult entertainment businesses in Singapore, brothels operating in Geylang were also shut down.
However, the most affected seem to be Singaporean sex workers operating in that area, many of whom have turned to delivering food to make a living.
These sex worker who mostly operates in the back lanes of Geylang, says that even before the COVID-19 hit, business was going downhill, mostly because customers would rather make bookings online for prostitutes.
In order to survive, some of them have turned to making food deliveries to make ends meet. One sex worker said that with the convenience of making bookings online, these men do not need to risk being spotted by their wives, relatives or colleagues, by coming down to Geylang to patronise them.
Reminiscing on the past, a sex worker described how the once brightly light and bustling Geylang red light district, has now become “a forgotten city”.