When more businesses resume from June 2, employers, transport providers and drivers must ensure that safe management measures are observed when workers are ferried on transport provided by employers, such as private buses, vans and lorries.

In an updated advisory issued yesterday, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that all workers should wear a mask and refrain from talking or interacting at all times while in the vehicle.

The clear floor space of the deck available for each seated passenger in a lorry or van should not be less than 0.496 sq m.

This means a 25 per cent reduction in the maximum passenger capacity (MPC) that is allowed for each lorry or van. For instance, if the MPC label states a maximum capacity of 36 occupants, it is to be reduced to 27 occupants.

Employers must also arrange for private transportation for workers staying in dormitories to commute to and from their workplaces without other passengers on these modes of transport.

The Singapore Contractors Association Limited (Scal) said it welcomes the latest advisory, which is a more practical approach as compared with a previous requirement for workers to be seated 1m apart on transport.

"Although this new rule reduces the passenger capacity on lorries and vans by 25 per cent, we agree that it is needed to ensure the safety of workers and the community. The industry will have to manage this as a new normal," said Scal.