Nightlife establishments that have pivoted to operate as food and beverage establishments may be able to resume their F&B operations after a two-week suspension from last Friday, if checks by government agencies show Covid-19 protocols are in place and strictly adhered to at these establishments.
Revealing this yesterday, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who is co-chair of the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19, said the reopening of these businesses is contingent on whether they have been compliant with safe management measures, among other things.
"When we look at it and we see it is properly done, the protocols are in place and they are strictly complied with, then we may allow them to resume after two weeks," he said.
Mr Wong, who was speaking at a press conference held by the task force, said the two-week suspension was imposed to allow agencies to go through in greater detail the safe management protocols in place at these establishments.
Agencies involved include the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.
The agencies will also look at how the businesses are organised, and take a "risk-based approach" towards determining which ones can reopen after the suspension period is over.
The police said yesterday that pivoted nightlife establishments can resume operations only if they pass inspections and receive written approval from the Singapore Food Agency.
More than 400 such establishments were told to suspend operations for two weeks from last Friday as an additional layer of precaution, following the emergence of a Covid-19 cluster linked to KTV lounges that the Ministry of Health announced on July 12.
The cluster had a total of 207 cases as at yesterday.
A multi-agency crackdown is under way to weed out errant nightlife operators among KTV lounges, nightclubs and pubs.
These places had been allowed to pivot to F&B operations to remain in business, after being closed since the circuit breaker period last year.
On the checks done by agencies to determine which businesses can reopen, Mr Wong said that the agencies may "take a bit more time" if they are not satisfied that the establishments are able to comply strictly with safe management measures, or if they have more questions for operators.
Consequences could be harsh for non-compliance.
"In these inspections, if there are operators with existing breaches, we may even then revoke the licence and not allow them to continue operating," said Mr Wong.
The police have conducted several rounds of enforcement operations related to clampdowns on the illicit nightlife sector.
