Restrictions will ease further from Tuesday, August 10, allowing groups of up to five fully vaccinated people to dine inside.
If you aren’t fully vaccinated*, you’ll have to prove that you have had a valid negative test result in the last 24 hours, or that you have recovered from Covid, in order to join in. Children who are unvaccinated (those aged 12 and below) can be included in the group of five, so long as all the children are from the same household.
The limit for meeting and eating inside was previously capped at just two people but, from Tuesday, up to five people will be able to dine at a restaurant together, or meet inside (i.e. households will be allowed up to five distinct visitors per day). That said, the government strongly advises that those who are unvaccinated, stick to the two-person limit.
Somewhat confusingly, open-air hawker centres and coffee shops will still only be allowing groups of up to two people, regardless of vaccination status.
Alongside the changes to dining in, capacity limits for certain events will also be increased from August 10. These events include congregational and worship services, cinemas, live performances, spectator sports events, as well as marriage ceremonies and wedding receptions.
If all attendees are fully vaccinated, up to 500 people can attend congregational and worship services, cinemas, live performances and spectator sports events. If venues can’t guarantee that all guests are fully vaccinated, or they can’t properly carry out pre-event testing, a cap of 50 attendees will apply.
Wedding ceremonies or solemnisations in external venues (i.e. those that don’t take place at home or at the Registry of Marriages and Registry of Muslim Marriages building) can accommodate up to 500 people including the wedding couple but excluding staff, as long as all attendees are fully vaccinated, have a valid negative test result, or can prove that they’ve recovered from Covid. Otherwise, as above, a cap of 50 attendees will apply.
Wedding receptions with up to 250 attendees will also be allowed from August 10, as long as tables are limited to no more than five guests (again, who are fully vaccinated, have a valid negative test result, or can prove that they’ve recovered from Covid).
If the situation remains positive, from August 19, capacity limits will increase further, even bigger events are likely to be permitted, and fully vaccinated travellers from selected countries (including Australia, Canada, Germany and South Korea) will be allowed to visit, so long as they serve a mandatory quarantine in their homes. From this date, companies will also be allowed to invite up to 50 per cent of their staff back to the office.
The hope is that, by early September, around 80 per cent of the population will be fully vaccinated. It is then that the country will be able to move to “transition stage A”, where even more measures can be relaxed.
*You’re considered ‘fully vaccinated’ once there’s been at least two weeks since your second dose.