Two can dine together at F&B outlets from June 21; 5-person cap targeted for mid-July
FOOD and beverage (F&B) establishments will be open to diners from June 21, but only for groups of up to two persons.
The expectation had previously been for dining in groups of up to five persons, but this will be delayed to mid-July.
"This is a more cautious approach to minimise the risk of spikes in cases in the formation of large clusters," said Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong at the multi-ministry taskforce press conference.
Finance Minister Lawrence Wong clarified that groups of more than two people will be allowed to dine together only if they are all members of the same household, and they will still need to abide by the rule of two per table.
In addition to existing restrictions on videos, TV screening and live entertainment at F&B establishments, playing of recorded music is also now prohibited in such establishments. This is meant to further mitigate the risk of transmission from patrons talking loudly.
The Jobs Support Scheme will be extended by three weeks starting June 21 at the current enhanced rate of 50 per cent. This will be tapered to 10 per cent for another two weeks starting July 12.
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Staff who work in settings with unmasked clients or patrons, including F&B staff, will be onboarded as quickly as possible onto regular Fast and Easy Tests (FET) using antigen rapid tests (ARTs) as a start. FET testing capacity will be built up in the coming weeks and a regular FET regime is expected to be in place for workers in these settings by around mid-July.
Self-employed hawkers will get additional support in the form of subsidies for fees for table-cleaning and centralised dishwashing services, as well as rental waivers.
The Covid-19 Recovery Grant (Temporary) will be extended until July 31. Existing recipients of the grant who continue to require assistance will be able to apply for a second tranche of support in July.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung noted that with increasing consensus from experts that the Covid-19 virus will likely become endemic, Singapore will need to start ensuring that businesses including F&B establishments can stay open despite the presence of Covid-19 cases.
Progress has been made towards this goal, with improved capabilities for testing, contact tracing and quarantine as well as good vaccination rates. Mr Ong believes the country can now move beyond needing to implement a "circuit breaker".
"Moving forward, we need to ensure that these businesses can stay open too, and at some point, we must be able to start connecting with the world and travelling again. But as a start, F&B and gyms cannot be opening and closing in tandem with infection cases and clusters," he said.
Vaccination rates are currently too low for such an approach to be adopted but Mr Ong said vaccinations are being administered as quickly as possible given the constraints of supply.
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