SINGAPORE - The suspension of corporate tours and school visits are among stricter Covid-19 restrictions at public libraries and archives kicking in from Saturday (May 8) to May 30.

Operating capacity at these locations will also be cut to 50 per cent, down from 65 per cent, as part of the nationwide effort to curb viral transmission.

Dwelling time at libraries and archives will continue to be limited on weekends to manage crowds, said the National Library Board (NLB) in a statement on Thursday.

On those days, patrons will have to limit their visits at the National Library, regional libraries, the National Archives of Singapore and the Study Lounge at Level 5 of the National Library Building to three hours.

Visits to all other libraries are capped at two hours.

Patrons can make online bookings at this link.

From May 17, check-in using TraceTogether will also be made mandatory at these venues.

"To help ease the transition, scanning of barcodes on personal IDs will be retained until May 31," NLB added.

Patrons can check the crowd capacity in NLB's libraries and archives in real time at this link before their visit, or using the NLB mobile app.

Audience capacity for Asian Film Archive's public screenings at Oldham Theatre in the National Archives Building will also be reduced from 66 to 50 people for both the theatre and the atrium.

One to two screenings per screening day at the Oldham Theatre and digital programmes will continue to be available for patrons.

Other public health safety measures including the frequent disinfection of high-touch points will continue to be enforced across all premises.