Catch up on the hottest topics on The Big Story, The Straits Times' weekday online news programme.

New rules forbidding unvaccinated people from dining in at hawker centres and coffee shops that kicked in on Wednesday (Oct 13) have left some confused.

When The Straits Times visited several places, there were checks conducted at some but not others.

Multimedia journalist Renee Poh speaks to patrons and stallholders about the new measures.

Meanwhile, more than 2,000 travellers have been granted a pass to enter Singapore under a quarantine-free travel scheme, after the first day of applications opening for visitors from eight countries.

The 2,409 successful applicants under the Vaccinated Travel Lane scheme comprise 724 short-term visitors and 1,685 long-term pass holders.

Among these vaccinated travellers, those from Britain were the largest group, with 976 successful applicants as at 11.59pm on Tuesday.

Separately, the opening of two wildlife parks in the leafy Mandai area has been pushed back due to delays wrought by Covid-19 on the construction sector.

The Jurong Bird Park was originally slated to move to Mandai and open its doors to the public in 2020, it was announced in 2016. But the attraction - renamed the Bird Paradise - is now expected to open in 2022 instead.

As for the upcoming forest-themed wildlife park, which will be known as the Rainforest Wild, its opening has been pushed back a year from 2023 to 2024.