Dining in at eateries can resume from Monday, but in groups of only up to two people, as the authorities sought a "calibrated reopening" following an increase in Covid-19 community cases over the past week.
The group limit will be increased to five from the middle of next month, barring an unexpected worsening of the virus situation, Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong said yesterday at a media conference by the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19 that he co-chairs.
Other measures will also be eased in two stages. Gyms and fitness studios may resume indoor mask-off sports and exercise activities in group sizes of up to two people from Monday, and up to five people in the middle of next month, although work-from-home remains the default to control transmission risks.
The announcement comes amid a rise in locally transmitted cases brought about by a growing cluster at the 115 Bukit Merah View Market and Food Centre. Dining in has not been allowed since May 16 as part of tightened measures to stem a rise in community cases.
The main objective of the two-stage reopening is to buy time while Singapore speeds up its vaccination programme, said fellow task force co-chair, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong.
The minister said that the current level of vaccination - particularly at 35 per cent for full vaccinations - is still not high enough.
He said the task force will progressively ease restrictions both within Singapore and at its borders based on two milestones, the first being when 50 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, and the second when 75 per cent is fully vaccinated.
If restrictions were to be eased too early, big clusters can easily break out, Mr Wong added.
"As we resume activities from June 21, cases are bound to go up... We will do our best to prevent large clusters from arising," he said.
Wedding receptions will remain prohibited until the middle of next month, as these are higher-risk activities where attendees tend to socialise more and over a longer period of time.
There is no change to the maximum group size for social gatherings, which will remain at five, or to the rule on five unique visitors to each household per day.
Eateries should strictly observe safe distancing of at least 1m between groups of diners. Enforcement will be stepped up, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). To further reduce the risk of transmission from patrons talking loudly, recorded music will not be allowed.
People from the same household can eat out at multiple tables, Mr Wong said in response to a question. "If you are not from the same household, then you cannot go and do multiple bookings to have multiple tables. So, the same rules that previously applied will continue to apply," he said.
Regular tests for staff working in higher-risk places, such as eateries, spas, hair salons and gyms, will be rolled out. The 14-day testing regime for them will be made mandatory in the middle of next month, said MOH.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said there were 94 locally transmitted cases in the past seven days, compared with 41 in the previous seven. The proportion of unlinked cases has remained stable at 19 per cent.
Singapore has made progress because it has boosted its capabilities for testing and contact tracing, and vaccinated a good part of its population, he added.
"So, I believe we are now able to put the circuit breaker behind us and keep most businesses open while navigating a wave of transmissions, as we have done over the past few weeks," he said.
He added that the imperative now is to boost vaccination with the more cautious reopening. Singapore has the capacity to vaccinate more and is constrained only by supplies. "If we are successful (in securing more supplies), by July, we will be able to go beyond the current rate of 47,000 doses per day and open up many more bookings."
