Stabilisation Phase extended by a month until Nov 21; S$640m more in support for firms

SINGAPORE'S Stabilisation Phase, originally meant to end after Oct 24, will be extended by four weeks until Nov 21, with an additional S$640 million support package on the way to help companies and individuals, the multi-ministry taskforce on Covid-19 announced on Wednesday (Oct 20).

"We have explained earlier that we can relax the restrictions only if the pressure eases off on the healthcare system," said taskforce co-chair and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong.

While the government is beefing up manpower and capacity, it will take time for these reinforcements to come in, and in the meantime, Singapore faces "considerable risk of the healthcare system being overwhelmed", he said.

Therefore, the current Stabilisation Phase, which began on Sep 27 and includes measures such as the two-person cap on social gatherings and dining at food and beverage (F&B) establishments, will be extended for a month, he said.

But this does not mean that all the measures "will have to remain frozen or static throughout this entire month", he added.

Wong noted that the Restaurant Association of Singapore, for instance, has requested for up to five members of the same household to be allowed to dine together. "For now, we think it's still too risky to make such a move because of the pressure on the healthcare system, but it is indeed something we are looking into," he said.

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The Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement that the measures will be reviewed at the two-week mark of the extension, and may be adjusted based on the community situation at that time.

Taskforce co-chair and Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said there would be a full media conference later in the week, though he did not say what additional details would be shared then.  MOH's director of medical services Kenneth Mak was not present at the Oct 20 virtual media doorstop.

Support measures for affected businesses will be extended accordingly until Nov 21. This includes Jobs Support Scheme support at 25 per cent for these sectors: F&B, retail, cinemas, museums, art galleries, historical sites, family entertainment, tourism, gyms and fitness studios, and performing arts and arts education.

The government will provide a 0.5 month rental waiver for qualifying tenants on government-owned commercial properties, while qualifying tenant-occupiers and owner-occupiers of privately-owned commercial properties will get a 0.5-month rental relief cash payout under the Rental Support Scheme.

Cooked food and market stallholders in centres managed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) or NEA-appointed operators will receive a 0.5-month rental waiver.

The Covid-19 Driver Relief Fund payout for taxi and private hire car drivers will also be extended, at S$10 and S$5 per vehicle per day in November and December 2021 respectively.

The S$640 million cost of support measures will be funded from higher-than-expected government revenues collected to date, with no further draw on past reserves, said Wong.

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