Roads, trains and buses were more crowded yesterday morning as students returned to school and more people went back to work on the first day after the end of the circuit breaker.
Trains on the North East Line were about 30 per cent fuller, though the rush-hour crowd was still far from the norm before the Covid-19 outbreak, said Ms Juliet Foo, 36, who has been working at a clinic in Raffles Place throughout the circuit breaker period.
Her friend who took the Downtown Line yesterday told her that people still respected safe distancing measures where they could, even though the green and orange stickers plastered over alternate seats in trains had been removed.
Meanwhile, a small traffic jam formed along Bishan Road at about 7am, as parents drove their children to school.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said there was an observable increase in bus and rail ridership yesterday, particularly during peak hours, compared with the circuit breaker period.
Train and bus intervals returned to pre-circuit breaker levels to accommodate the increased ridership, with trains pulling into Raffles Place MRT station every two minutes during the morning peak period.
The LTA said the situation across the board was orderly and manageable yesterday, with commuters behaving responsibly.
"LTA and the respective public transport operators will continue to monitor the situation closely," said a spokesman.
Yesterday, more workers were also allowed to return to their workplaces, provided they could not continue working from home - which must remain the default mode of work.
They must adhere to measures such as wearing masks at all time except during activities that require them to be removed, and temperature screening.
Ms Liao Yilin, 28, who works in sales, said her department was asked to return to the office in Raffles Place to conduct face-to-face meetings with clients.
Cubicles at her workplace have barriers, and there are also safe distancing markings throughout.
Still, she said she felt worried.
"I have no choice. If I don't return to the office, I am worried I will get sacked. It is very hard to find a job now, so I feel sandwiched."
More than 230 dentists and 500 dental nurses and receptionists also returned to work across 70 Q&M dental clinics yesterday.
Many had not been at work as only emergency dental treatments were allowed during the circuit breaker. They can now resume more dental procedures such as scaling and polishing, filling and orthodontic treatment.
Besides practising safe distancing for staff and patients, Q&M has also installed air purification systems in the clinics and will provide N95 masks and face shields to all staff.
Banks, which continue to have only select branches open, have also stepped up measures in anticipation of more customers.
United Overseas Bank applied a commercial-grade self-disinfecting coating on high-touch areas in all its open branches, including counters and in meeting areas.
This coating, which lasts for up to six months, can kill germs and bacteria that come into contact with it.
OCBC Bank has provided its customer-facing staff with face shields to wear on top of masks.
Full hairdressing services and basic pet grooming services were also allowed to resume yesterday.
While some hair salons did not see the same queues compared with when they reopened on May 12, pet groomers now have their hands full.
Ms Xanthia He, 31, said her pet grooming salon Mewtants & Woofs is booked up until the end of the month.
Pet owners had been trying to book appointments even before it was announced she could reopen.
"We are very busy today, but we are very happy to be back. The pets' hair is all overgrown and they look like walking mops," Ms He said.
For Ms Joanne Teo, 57, who runs The Hair Impression salon in Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, being allowed to resume hair colouring and hair treatment services comes as a relief. She said: "With just haircuts, we cannot cover the rent."
