Larger dine-in groups expected to be allowed from July 12: Lawrence Wong

SINGAPORE - Larger groups of five people can be expected to be allowed to dine in together from next Monday (July 12), as Singapore eases measures and opens up further from a recent outbreak in community cases, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong told Parliament on Monday.

"These additional measures have worked in curbing the spread of the virus, while allowing most parts of the economy to continue operating," he said.

"So that is why we started to ease the restrictions from June 14, when we moved from phase 2 to phase 3 (heightened alert); and we expect to open up further from July 12 to allow larger groups of five people to dine together," he added in a speech.

Mr Wong was giving an update on the Government's support measures for businesses and workers affected by tightened Covid-19 restrictions, and how they will be financed.

In his speech, he said that more calibrated measures were adopted to deal with new Covid-19 clusters that had formed in early- to mid-May, unlike the economy-wide circuit breaker measures last year.

The clusters in May were "most notably" at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Changi Airport. There was also a sustained increase in unlinked community cases, he said.

To protect Singaporeans and control the spread of the virus, the country moved into phase 2 (heightened alert) on May 16, noted Mr Wong, who is co-chair of a multi-ministry task force handling Covid-19.

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Measures introduced were aimed at reducing transmission risks in indoor settings where people do not have their masks on, and where there is a higher chance of large clusters forming.

After a month of stepped-up precautions saw an eventual dip in cases, the authorities had said on June 10 that Singapore will gradually reopen and move to phase three (heightened alert). From June 14, the cap on social gatherings was raised from two people to five.

Dining in at eateries resumed a week later, but in groups of up to two people.

Last Thursday, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung had said in an interview with The Straits Times that the next relaxation of Covid-19 measures was expected on July 12.

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