Merlion statue cleaning postponed due to ‘manpower issues’, say STB

SINGAPORE – The Merlion will have to wait longer for its regular bath.

The iconic statue was supposed to have its quarterly cleaning from last Thursday (Aug 26) to Saturday, but this has been postponed to next week, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said in a statement on Friday (Sept 3).

“The cleaning works were postponed due to manpower issues faced by the appointed cleaning company,” an STB spokesman told The Straits Times.

The STB did not elaborate on the issues or name the cleaning company.

The Merlion will now be cleaned overnight from 11.30pm to 7am between Sept 6 and Sept 8. The statue will be hoarded up during that period and not available for public viewing, the STB said.