Coronavirus: No Botox procedures yet but chiropractic treatments and hospital visits with restrictions allowed from June 2

No Botox procedures will be allowed, but ayurvedic, chiropractic and osteopathic treatments will resume from June 2.

Details on the gradual resumption of healthcare services were released by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday (May 22).

The ministry said the services will gradually resume in phases after the end of the circuit breaker period, in line with the reopening of the economy.

The current restrictions on hospital visitors will be slightly eased.

From June 2, visitors from up to two households will be allowed to visit loved ones in hospital.

However, a maximum of five visitors will be allowed to pre-register and only one person will be able to visit at a time.

Hospitals may introduce further measures to space out visits and avoid crowding, said the ministry.

In its statement, MOH listed the various services that will resume from June 2, but noted that services which alter appearances but do not cure or ameliorate diseases or illnesses will continue to be deferred.

This means no Botox treatments, fillers or thread-lifts.

For hospital-based care, specialist outpatient services, medical procedures and allied health services for patients with higher needs will resume from June 2.

These include care that has already been deferred some months and cannot be postponed further without affecting the patient's outcome.

Chronic disease management can resume as well, depending on medical necessity and available capacity among healthcare providers.

Preventive health services such as flu vaccines and pre-enlistment screenings will resume.

Dental procedures like scaling and polishing, fillings, crowns, dentures and orthodontic treatment will also be allowed.

Community-based services with home visits will also be allowed for patients, though priority will be given to those with urgent needs.

Traditional Chinese medicine needle acupuncture can also resume for all conditions. Ayurvedic, chiropractic, osteopathic and other forms of traditional and complementary services for management of medical conditions and symptom relief are also allowed.

The Health Ministry said that physical visits should still be minimised whenever possible as there is still a need to reduce the risk of community transmissions. Tele-consultation and medication delivery are preferred.

All healthcare staff will continue to wear masks, maintain good personal hygiene and ensure regular cleaning of activity equipment and shared spaces.

At a later phase, cancer screening and pre-employment medical screening may be allowed.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.