No dining in, social gatherings capped at 2 people from May 16

SINGAPORE - People will only be allowed out in groups of two from this Sunday (May 16) until June 13, with dining-in prohibited as Singapore tightens its Covid-19 restrictions to stamp out the spread of cases in the community.

Households will also not be allowed to receive more than two distinct visitors per day. Individuals should continue to cap their social gatherings at two a day as well.

Eateries and hawker centres will only offer takeaway and delivery during this period to reduce the risk of transmission, due to the higher risk posed by customers dining in for prolonged period with their masks off, and in close proximity, said the Health Ministry on Friday (May 14).

Working from home will once again be the default for workplaces, and employers have to ensure that staff who can work from home do so.

Speaking at a virtual press conference, Education Minister Lawrence Wong said stricter measures are needed because many members of the public would have visited Changi Airport in the last few weeks, with some subsequently becoming infected.

The concern is that there may be hidden cases that have leaked out into the community, added the multi-ministry task force co-chair, noting that unlinked cases have also gone up.

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There are currently 46 cases in the Changi Airport cluster, making it the largest of Singapore's 11 active clusters.

MOH said to allow families' current childcare arrangements to continue, grandchildren being cared for by their grandparents on a daily basis will not be counted towards the two-visitor cap. However, grandparents are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated against Covid-19, and minimise mingling among grandchildren from different households.

Apart from the prohibition on dining-in, other activities that will no longer be allowed include strenuous indoor exercise classes and sports, as well as personalised services like facials that require masks to be removed.

Singing and the playing of instruments such as wind or brass instruments will also not be allowed.

Other tighter restrictions include:

- Wedding receptions will not be allowed, although solemnisations may continue for up to 100 people with pre-event testing in place, or 50 people if it is not.

- Congregational and other worship services can continue with a lower cap of 50 people at any one time. The limit goes up to 100 attendees if pre-event testing is implemented.

- Occupancy limits for malls and showrooms will be further reduced from the current limit of 10 sq m per person of gross floor area, to 16 sq m per person.

- All attractions that received prior approval to operate at 50 per cent of their operating capacity will have to reduce this to 25 per cent.

- Indoor and outdoor shows are allowed to continue for up to 50 people, with the cap going up to 100 people if pre-event testing is implemented.

- Museums and public libraries will operate at a reduced capacity of 25 per cent.

- Up to 100 persons may be allowed into cinema halls with pre-event testing, or up to 50 persons if no testing is in place. The cap of two persons per group applies and food and drinks cannot be sold or consumed in the cinema.

To speed up detection, everyone who sees a doctor with signs of acute respiratory infection will also have to undergo an antigen rapid test. This is in addition to the slower but more accurate polymerase chain reaction test.

This testing regime will be rolled out progressively, starting with around 200 public health preparedness clinics from Saturday (May 15).

Mr Wong urged people to follow the tightened measures and only go out for essential reasons.

He added: "We know this is a very difficult period for everyone; this is clearly a setback in our fight against Covid-19. We are resolved to keep fellow Singaporeans safe and to see Singapore safely through this crisis. So let's continue to stay united, support each other and do our very best."

This article was first published in The Straits Times.