Singapore on track to raise dining in group limit from 2 to 5 from mid-July: Lawrence Wong

SINGAPORE - The group limit for dining in at food and beverage outlets is on track to be raised from two currently to five from mid-July.

This is in tandem with the ramping up of the vaccination programme and regular testing of workers in higher-risk settings, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said on Thursday (June 24).

"With the vaccinations on track, with the regular testing of workers in these higher-risk settings proceeding, we should be able to get there," Mr Wong said at a virtual press conference. The exact dates will be worked out, and some advance notice will be given, he added.

Dining in at F&B outlets had resumed on Monday (June 21) but with a group size limit of two.

This was after more than a month of stricter Covid-19 restrictions, during which dining in was banned.

From next month, regular fast and easy testing (FET) will be mandatory from around the middle of next month for staff in higher-risk settings such as dine-in F&B establishments, gyms and fitness studios, and places that provide personal care services such as facials, where clients are unmasked.

[[nid:533444]]

Mr Wong's fellow co-chair of the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, said that Singapore will be ramping up its vaccination programme with the bringing forward of the delivery of the Republic's vaccine supplies from Saturday (June 26).

The number of doses delivered daily will be increased to 80,000, up from 47,000 today.

With this, most of the population who are willing to take the vaccine will have received their first dose by the second half of July.

The task force also aims to have at least two-thirds of the population fully vaccinated with two doses around National Day on Aug 9, depending on supplies.

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