An adjournment motion has been filed for Parliament to take up the matter of home-based food business operations amid the Covid-19 outbreak at its next sitting on May 4.

Member of Parliament Intan Azura Mokhtar, who posted on Facebook on Tuesday about the economic importance of home-based businesses for some, has filed the motion "Supporting Home-Based Business during this Covid-19 Circuit-Breaker period", said fellow MP Zainal Sapari.

Dr Intan had said in her post that the decision to prohibit home-based food and beverage (F&B) operations had been "a tough call", and that she felt for the operators because "growing up, my mother was a home baker too".

"The income she received from selling pineapple tarts, peanut cookies and lapis cakes helped put food on the table, and provide some extra cash for festive seasons, especially during the period when my late father lost his job and income," she said.

She added that she agreed with operators who feel that the Government should review current restrictions, such as rules that prohibit them from using third-party delivery providers to collect and deliver like F&B outlets.

Under current rules, home-based businesses have to cease their activities if they require the owner to leave the residential premises; customers are not allowed to collect the goods themselves.

The tightened circuit breaker measures come at a particularly inopportune time for those in the Muslim community for whom selling food from home is an important source of seasonal income - especially during the Ramadan and Hari Raya period.

A change.org petition calling on the Housing Board to revise its approach to handling home-based business during the pandemic has garnered more than 69,000 signatures.

Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli yesterday lauded the "cooperation and understanding" that have been shown by home-based food operators during this trying period, and said that help, both financial and legal, is available for those who need it.

His comments come after a previous Facebook post on Monday, in which he lambasted those who were "trying to incite our home-based business operators to pressure the Government to make exceptions" for them amid the Covid-19 measures.

He said at the time that such moves only rub more salt into home-based entrepreneurs' wounds because the Government cannot allow them to continue operations during this period for their and the community's safety.

In his latest Facebook post, Mr Masagos, who is also Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, said he understood operators' frustrations, and added that many operators understand the rationale for the painful measures and have accepted that they have to tide over this period like everybody else.

He listed three fronts on which home-based food business operators have been supported since the new rules were announced.

Financially, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, as well as the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI), have reached out to operators to offer them help from various schemes. Those who register with SMCCI, for example, will automatically qualify for a one-time assistance of $500 through the Temporary Relief Fund.

He also noted that free legal support is available to operators who are now unable to fulfil their obligations and cannot come to an agreement with their clients. They have legal protection under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, and can contact pro bono lawyers who have offered their services at lawyersm3@gmail.com for advice, he said.

Meanwhile, SMCCI is collecting feedback from operators to determine if further help is needed in the long term, possibly in the form of logistics and delivery support or training to increase the sector's resilience.

Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said on Monday that rules governing home-based food operators during the circuit breaker period could be eased if community transmission numbers are brought down.

Mr Masagos said: "If we all cooperate and stay calm, it will be in time for the Hari Raya orders."