Singapore Allows Citizens To Eat And Drink At Snack Centers And Coffee Shops Starting August 10

Illustration of an on-site dining outlet closing. (Wikimedia Commons/ZKang123)

JAKARTA - The Singaporean authorities have announced that they will allow citizens who have received the full COVID-19 vaccine to return to dining at restaurants starting August 10. They are also allowed to eat in groups of up to a maximum of five people. The move was announced as part of an easing of the lockdown adopted by the Singaporean authorities.

"The current number of groups for social gatherings will also be increased from two to five from August 10. Households can also receive visits of five different guests per day", the Ministry of Health (MOH) explained in a press release on Friday, August 6, citing CNA.

"However, people who have not been vaccinated should remain in groups of no more than two people, to reduce the possibility of transmission and severe infection," the Health Ministry continued.

Meanwhile, children who have not been vaccinated and are aged 12 years and under, can be included in the group of five as long as they all come from the same household. The MOH said this was part of a plan to ease restrictions that started on August 10 and would continue if the situation remained stable by August 19.

Along with this relaxation, those who are fully vaccinated can also do high-intensity exercise with masks, personal care services, to larger events such as weddings and worship.

Illustration of the atmosphere of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. (Wikimedia Commons/Btcprox)

"Unvaccinated people with valid negative pre-event test results or people who recover have a similarly lower risk, can also join groups of up to five people", continued MOH.

Vaccine proof

Restaurants can only provide dine-in service if they can ensure that customers have received the full COVID-19 vaccine. Those who cannot do so can only provide take-out and delivery services.

Meanwhile, everyone can dine on-site at hawker centers and coffee shops starting August 10, regardless of vaccination status. However, it is limited to a maximum of two people.

"Snack centers and coffee shops provide convenient and affordable food services to the community. As this is an open and naturally ventilated space, we will provide special concessions for vaccinated and unvaccinated people to eat at hawker centers and coffee shops," explained the Ministry of Health.

"Dining in places remains a high-risk activity as people take off masks and are nearby", the ministry said, adding that entertainment such as live performances, recorded music, and TV screenings would continue to be banned.

Illustration of the closure of public places in Singapore. (Wikimedia Commons/ZKang123)

In response to a question about how people can prove they have been fully vaccinated, Lawrence Wong, co-chair of the multi-ministerial task force, said a person's vaccination status is reflected in the TraceTogether app or on HealthHub.

"What you need to do is, take your phone with you when you go out to eat, you can show the vaccine status to the people in the restaurant, then they will be able to verify that", Wong said.

"For people who have been vaccinated overseas, they may have to bring a copy of the relevant documents, as their vaccination status may not be visible on the TraceTogether app or HealthHub," Wong said.

If there are no changes, Singaporean authorities have also agreed to abolish the requirement for temperature screening in public places from 19 August.

"With high rates of vaccine coverage among our population, transmission among vaccinated individuals and disease severity in vaccinated but infected people tend to be much lower", said MOH, added that Singapore also has the ability to detect infections early through testing.