SINGAPORE - Dining in will be allowed at food and beverage (F&B) establishments from Monday (June 21), but for up to only two diners.
Other activities such as group exercise classes can also resume, with caps on class sizes.
Here are answers to some questions you may have:
Q: If we're a family of five, can we dine out together?
A: That depends. If all five diners are from the same household, they will be allowed to book multiple tables of up to two diners each. That means one person would have to dine alone.
If the group consists of people from different households, they will not be allowed to book multiple tables.
There is no change to the five-person cap on unique daily visitors to a household, so your extended family can still eat together at home if you cook or buy takeaway food.
The cap for dining in F&B outlets may be raised to five people per table in mid-July, if the situation improves.
Q: What about wedding dinners?
A: Sorry, but wedding receptions, such as dinners and lunches, remain prohibited until at least mid-July. Such events carry a higher risk as attendees tend to socialise more, and over a longer period of time, the Ministry of Health said.
When wedding receptions are allowed to resume, pre-event testing (PET) will be required for all attendees for events with up to 100 attendees.
For events with up to 50 attendees, PET will be required for only the main wedding party, such as the couple and their bridesmaids and groomsmen. The wedding party can have up to 20 attendees, including the couple.
Q: Can I resume attending my regular gym or yoga class?
A: Yes, indoor activities that involve participants removing their masks, such as those at gyms and fitness studios, can resume from Monday.
But groups must still be limited to two people and classes will be capped at 30 people in total, including the instructor.
Activities held outdoors can continue in groups of up to five people, but the 30-person cap on the class size remains.
Q: Why is it that I am allowed to exercise without a mask together with four other friends, but we cannot eat together afterwards?
A: Dining together is considered higher risk because of the likelihood of transmission through droplets when everyone is talking and eating together.
This is also why recorded music will not be allowed at F&B establishments - to minimise the risk of transmission from patrons talking loudly to be heard over the music.
Exercising, even without a mask, does not involve as much talking, and the risk of transmission is lower.
Q: Is it safe to go for a facial or a massage?
A: Personal care services involving customers removing their masks have already been allowed to resume since June 14.
From mid-July, staff who work in places such as beauty salons and massage parlours will have to undergo mandatory testing every 14 days.
This applies to staff working in other high-risk settings as well, such in F&B outlets with dining and gyms with unmasked participants.
Small businesses that are unable to implement self-supervised swabbing will be able to send their staff to quick test centres. Two centres will be set up in Tekka and Yishun from next Monday, with more to be set up progressively.
Q: What should I do if I receive an SMS alert stating that I was at the same venue as an infected person?
A: You will have to undergo a mandatory Covid-19 test at a designated testing centre and stay isolated until you get your results.
You will also be given self-test kits to use at home to confirm you are not infected.
Further details on this testing requirement will be announced later.
Q: Can I go to the beach or catch a movie with my friends?
A: Yes, as long as you are not having a beach picnic.
There is no change to the five-person cap on social gatherings in public if no food and drinks are involved.
F&B services at cinemas can resume for groups of up to two people. Those without F&B services can have groups of up to five.
Barbecue pits and campsites remain closed, along with all water play areas and water recreational facilities in parks and gardens managed by the National Parks Board.
READ MORE: Singapore's Covid-19 rules from June 21: What you can and can't do
