Good friends Purawati, 28, and Dwi Maharani, 38, had not met in two months and were thrilled to see each other in person yesterday when they met.

"It's been so long and it has been boring without my friends," said Ms Purawati, who goes by only one name. She had lunch with her friend and fellow Indonesian domestic helper in the Kallang area.

As most of Singapore, including foreign domestic workers, stayed home during the two-month-long circuit breaker period that ended earlier this month, yesterday was a day of celebration for many helpers who returned to their usual haunts for meals and shopping with friends.

Another pair of friends who were reunited were Ms Cristela Aquino Tamba, 48, and Ms Moreno Roselle Oris, 40, who met at Lucky Plaza.

"We have talked over video call but it's not the same," said Ms Tamba, adding that she had to resist giving her friend a hug. "We still need to maintain safe distancing."

Before the Covid-19 outbreak and circuit breaker period, the duo would usually meet more friends in groups of about 10, but yesterday afternoon, it was just the two of them at the mall in Orchard Road.

"Smaller groups are better because we are also worried about the virus. Some of our friends are still staying home," said Ms Tamba. "It's for our own good; we don't want to bring the virus home to our employers."

Compared with the weekends before the circuit breaker, the usual crowd at Lucky Plaza was missing when The Straits Times visited at lunchtime yesterday, after a heavy downpour.

The queue to enter the mall moved quickly as people scanned their identity cards or the SafeEntry QR code and had their temperatures taken at the main entrance.

Once inside, most shoppers were seen maintaining a safe distance from other groups and adhering to the tape markings on the ground.

Earlier this month, long queues were seen outside Lucky Plaza when domestic workers flocked there to remit money, raising concerns about safe distancing measures.

Most of the domestic helpers ST spoke to said they planned to return home early after running errands or having lunch as they did not want to loiter outside.

The thinner crowds could also be partly due to some helpers taking their rest days on weekdays.

As Singapore entered phase two - which allows groups of not more than five people to gather in public - last week, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) issued an advisory to employers regarding foreign domestic helpers, who can now spend their rest day outside the home.

MOM said helpers should refrain from visiting crowded areas like City Plaza, Lucky Plaza and Peninsula Plaza and, with their employers' permission, are encouraged to take their rest day on a weekday, when public spaces are less crowded.

Yesterday, safe distancing ambassadors and MOM officers were seen patrolling the three malls.

The owner of a grocery shop at Peninsula Plaza in North Bridge Road, who wanted to be known only as Mr Maung, 50, said that on a usual Sunday, the mall would be packed with people. "But now it's different. It's empty and people just buy their food and go home."

Yesterday, the park near City Plaza, which is usually dotted with picnic mats on a Sunday afternoon, was empty and barrier tape was still up, along with signs that said "no waiting, sitting or gathering".

Inside the mall, some domestic helpers gathered in groups of fewer than five at an empty space on the second floor, with each group seated a distance from one another.

While the mall's security officers would usually tell the groups to disperse, shopkeepers were more understanding of the situation.

Madam Doris Tan, who is in her 60s and runs a cosmetics shop, said: "It was raining earlier, so they came here to sit. They're not making a fuss."

She said sales have dropped by about 50 per cent, but she hopes business will pick up. "Our mall relies on (foreign domestic helpers) to survive. Without them we will have no more business," she said.

Out and about after circuit breaker

Foreign domestic workers queueing outside a remittance outlet in City Plaza yesterday, the first Sunday that they could spend their day off outside after the two-month circuit breaker. A new rule requires maids and other customers to schedule appointments with remittance agencies in several malls