Singapore firms made 110,000 hotline calls about safe-distancing measures

BUSINESSES that were affected by the safe-distancing measures amid the Covid-19 pandemic made some 110,000 phone calls to Enterprise Singapore's (ESG) information hotline between April 3 and June 15, ESG said on Tuesday. 

Another 45,000 e-mail enquiries were also received by ESG over the same period. 

With advisories and guidelines that were applicable to different sectors, the info line provided business owners with clarity on compliance requirements - procedures that can be complex, particularly for small and micro-small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), ESG said. 

It added that the hotline became a feedback channel for government agencies to understand and rectify challenges shared by businesses from different sectors, as the Covid-19 situation evolved.  

Updated information on the support measures announced in the four budgets, aimed at helping distressed companies stay afloat and re-open safely, were also frequently addressed through these phone and e-mail enquiries as well, ESG said. 

With the gradual reopening of the economy, ESG's hotline will continue to assist businesses in adapting and adjusting to the three-phased approach to resume activities safely, post "circuit breaker".

On Monday evening, Singapore's Multi-Ministry Taskforce announced that the Republic will be moving into Phase Two of reopening from Friday, and that most businesses will be able to reopen from that date. 

In its statement on Tuesday, ESG also noted that it has employed call-centre agents to augment its existing pool of call-centre agents since April. 

During the "circuit-breaker" period from April 7 till June 1, when safe-distancing measures were heightened, close to 800 volunteers from 48 government agencies manned ESG's Infoline, the stat board said. 

Separately, the CovidBiz Helpline of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) provided companies with updates on various border restrictions, business-support measures and movement of goods in key markets. SBF's Helpline received about 960 enquiries from more than 600 companies from April 6 to June 15, ESG said. 

Other trade associations and chambers and their SME Centres have also stepped up to assist businesses since the "circuit-breaker" period, ESG noted. These include the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.