From this Sunday, people will only be allowed to gather in groups of two instead of five, while dining-in will once again be banned.
From this Sunday 16 May 2021, people will only be allowed to gather in groups of two instead of five, while dining-in will once again be banned, as the Singapore government continues to tighten Covid-19 restrictions amid an increasing number of infections here.
These new measures, which will last until June 13, were announced shortly after the cluster at Changi Airport became the largest in Singapore with 46 cases, and one that Education Minister Lawrence Wong - the co-chair of Singapore's multi-ministry task force on Covid-19 - described as "very worrying".
Speaking at a press briefing on Friday 14 May 2021, Mr Wong said while the authorities have moved to ringfence these cases at the airport, they are concerned about the people who would have visited the airport in the last few weeks.
"We are also concerned that there may be hidden cases that would have leaked out into the community, and we are unable to detect them. That's why in recent days, we have also seen a rise in unlinked cases emerging," said Mr Wong said.
The cap on social gatherings applies to home visits as well, with each household only allowed two unique visitors per day, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). Individuals should also continue to limit their overall number of social gatherings to not more than two per day.
Workplaces will revert to working from home as the default, reversing earlier measures to allow up to 50 per cent of employees at the workplace.
Activities that allowed for the removal of masks, such as dining-in at F&B establishments, will be ceased. Both indoor and outdoor F&B establishments, including hawker centres and food courts, will only be able to offer takeaway and delivery options.
This is because "the recent clusters have demonstrated higher attack rates and secondary transmission occurs in mask-off settings, households and at eateries", said MOH.
Other activities that will also not be allowed during this period include strenuous indoor exercise classes or strenuous individual and group indoor sports and exercise activities, the ministry said.
In addition, personalised services such as facials and saunas, which require masks to be removed, singing, and the playing of instruments that require intentional expulsion of air - for example, wind or brass instruments - will also not be allowed.
Parts of this article were first published on The Business Times
