Early easing of restrictions lifts spirits ahead of National Day

THE past three months have been a roller-coaster ride for anyone in the food and beverage (F&B) business.

On May 16, dining-in was banned as Singapore moved into Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) (P2HA) because of the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the community.

After dining-in resumed again on June 21, it did not take long before the cluster at Jurong Fishery Port led to a rollback to P2HA and the same restrictions on social activities being imposed again on July 22.

Between the public and F&B operators, it was difficult to tell who was the more disappointed of the lot; but the latter, especially, can now heave a sigh of relief as the Covid-19 multi-ministry task force on Friday announced that dining-in and other social activities can resume once again from next Tuesday, Aug 10.

The decision was made during the mid-term review of P2HA and it is the first time measures have been relaxed ahead of time.

Current restrictions on eating out, going to the gym, attending events and more were originally supposed to have lasted till Aug 18.

Those who are fully vaccinated enjoy additional privileges such as being able to dine in groups of up to five in restaurants; although those who have not are not entirely discriminated against as they are still able to eat at coffee shops and hawker centres in groups of up to two.

The underlying message here is clear: if you are healthy and eligible for it, get the jab to get out - in every sense of the word - for yourself and for the good of the country.

This individual sense of social responsibility will ensure business disruptions will be a thing of the past and is crucial to reopening Singapore's economy.

The added incentive of being able to gather in larger numbers and partaking in more social activities might look like a stick-and-carrot approach but it could prove effective in nudging those with second thoughts forward to get their shots.

Plus now that it's easier than ever to get vaccinated - one can just walk in without an appointment for the Moderna vaccine - there is little reason not to get it unless due to medical reasons.

Make no mistake that this early relaxation of measures is a calculated risk that has come on the back of robust progress made on the vaccination front.

A total of more than 7.8 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been administered to date and last week alone, around 55,000 additional people were fully vaccinated per day on average.

By National Day on Aug 9, the government expects that around 70 per cent of the entire population will have completed both doses of the vaccine. Singapore is now one of the countries with the highest vaccination rates in the world.

But this is only the first step because the next milestone will be to bring that figure up to 80 per cent. This result is achievable as early as the tail end of August or early September if people continue to step forward to get the jab at the current pace.

At Friday's press briefing, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung laid out a roadmap that included a four-step transition programme to becoming a Covid-19-resilient nation from Aug 10.

The government has its work cut out for it in the months ahead and has somewhat eased the financial burdens of business owners by lifting restrictions earlier than expected.

But things also cannot move further unless Singaporeans band together to hit the nation's vaccination target. With Singapore's 56th birthday just around the corner, there is no better time to play our part.