| Like all countries that have successfully contained the spread of the virus, Singapore's strategy relies on a mix of masks, social distancing and aggressive contact tracing. Here that means mandatory Bluetooth-enabled tokens and cell phone apps. In theory, if you ever come close to a Covid case, the government should know. It works well, to a point. And that point is the door of an establishment that claims to sell one thing and maybe also offers another. Call it a legal "gray zone." They're almost impossible to regulate at the best of times. In Singapore, the system broke down over karaoke bars that were shut down early in the pandemic and later reopened as food and beverage establishments. They also happen to be frequented by hostesses who socialize with patrons, and may or may not trade their company for compensation. Perhaps you "forgot" to bring your contact tracing token. Maybe you "accidentally" switched off your phone. Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies.  In fact, no karaoke tonight. Photographer: Octavio Jones/Getty Images In Taipei, it was intimate tea services, helping burst what had been one of the most successful anti-Covid bubbles in the world. In Bangkok, nightclubs and bars. It's hard to know what really happens behind closed doors—does it really matter? Vaccinations are supposed to safeguard against all this. And maybe someday they will. But when the eldest get their jabs first, some industries with younger workforces are less likely to be vaccinated, giving outbreaks a better chance to take hold. Now Singapore is stuck asking men—and it's usually men—to come clean. For the sake of their country, mere weeks before its National Day, to tell the government where they've been. To tell their families to isolate while they test. To tell their wives. Singapore's reopening plan has been put on hold. The actions of a few outweigh the compliance of the many. A "new normal" will have to wait. Police in Singapore are vowing to crack down, threatening jail and fines. Karaoke bars ordered shut. But this type of enforcement has been tried before in many other parts of the world. The industry finds a way. It thrives in the gray zones. So does Covid.—Derek Wallbank | 
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