Eateries welcome diners back as curbs ease

After weeks of providing only takeaway food, hawker centres, coffee shops and restaurants welcomed back diners yesterday, as Singapore took a cautious but significant step towards reopening its economy.

With the lifting of the ban on dining in that had been in place since July 22, fully vaccinated groups of up to five people were allowed, from yesterday, to dine at restaurants.

The group size at hawker centres and coffee shops is capped at two, regardless of vaccination status.

The easing of restrictions came as 72 per cent of Singapore's population - or more than 3.89 million - were fully vaccinated as at Monday.

At Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market and Jurong West 505 Market and Food Centre, a steady stream of customers was seen at some stalls yesterday morning as couples and families with children headed out for their meals.

Safe distancing ambassadors were out in full force to ensure diners checked in with their TraceTogether app or token at the entry points of these hawker centres.

Engineering manager Steven Lim, 50, seated at a table apart from his wife and two-year-old daughter at Jurong West 505 Market and Food Centre, said: "It feels good to be able to sit and have a quick meal with my family after dropping my son off at kindergarten, just like we used to do in the past before dining in stopped."

However, coffee shops near Toa Payoh Bus Interchange, as well as the Kim San Leng Food Centre in Bukit Panjang, saw thin crowds when The Straits Times visited at lunchtime.

At foodcourts in malls such as Junction 8 and Nex, people were checked at the entrance, and vaccinated people were identified with a sticker. Those unvaccinated and without a sticker could get only takeaway food.

The cap of five for groups, if all diners are fully vaccinated, also applies to foodcourts.

After some initial confusion on the part of patrons about group sizes and vaccination requirements, more people gradually became aware of the rules as the day progressed, said a staff member at a foodcourt in Nex.

Owners and chefs of food and beverage establishments had trained their staff to check customers' vaccination status ahead of the easing of restrictions.

Some restaurants had started receiving calls for reservations immediately after the announcement last Friday that dining in would resume yesterday.

However, beauty salons and spas did not get the boost in business they had hoped for, even as services requiring masks to be removed were allowed to resume for fully vaccinated customers.

A number of customers were wary as new Covid-19 clusters continue to emerge, while others were not yet fully vaccinated, said businesses interviewed by ST.

As the cap on group sizes for social gatherings was raised from two to five, some families with children took the opportunity to be out in nature, as yesterday was also a school holiday.

Healthcare worker Shahidah Salleh, 40, who was cycling at Jurong Lake Gardens with her husband and two children, aged eight and 13, said her family prefers outdoor activities and will avoid eating out for the time being.

Lakeside resident Linda Koh, 39, who works in a bank, opted to meet two friends at the park instead of a cafe to celebrate her birthday. "We have young unvaccinated kids, so we're more risk-averse, that's why we decided to meet outdoors," she said.