Seats at the Carousel buffet restaurant have been reduced from 310 to 250 so groups of diners can keep a 1m distance from one another.

The arrangement aims to lower the risk of any transmission in case an infected patient dines at the restaurant.

Carousel in the Royal Plaza on Scotts is one of a number of eateries and offices that have imposed social-distancing steps due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

More are expected to follow, with the Ministry of Health issuing advisories for workplaces and public venues yesterday.

It has urged dining venues to set seats at least 1m apart and advised employers to implement measures such as staggering working hours, among other recommendations.

Royal Plaza on Scotts, which runs Carousel, said it started putting more distance between tables this week.

It is also putting diners in seats around the restaurant rather than concentrating them in a section.

Other measures include asking customers to sanitise their hands, temperature screening and replacing food tongs more often.

The hotel said: "Social responsibility takes precedence during a pandemic."

The Orchard Cafe in Orchard Hotel has also reduced the number of seats to put more space between diners, increased the cleaning frequency for tables and converted an outdoor space into an alfresco dining area to give customers the option of eating in an area with more ventilation.

Hotel general manager Jean-Philippe Jacopin said: "We want to reassure guests that they have a safe and comfortable place to dine at Orchard Cafe, especially with its alfresco dining for guests who prefer a more ventilated and spacious experience."

Meanwhile, social media platform Twitter has introduced a compulsory work-from-home policy for all its offices, including its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore.

Chief human resources officer Jennifer Christie told staff on Wednesday that the move was aimed at keeping the workers and people around them healthy.