Singapore’s gradual reopening has been a rollercoaster ride as authorities take precautions against growing clusters.
Dine-ins cautiously resumed on 21 Jun, with a 2-pax cap instead of the original 5 planned.
On Thursday (24 Jun), Finance Minister and Covid-19 Task Force co-chair Lawrence Wong announced that we are now on track to raise the limit to 5 pax by mid-July.
This comes as Singapore ramps up vaccinations and testing.
In a press conference on Thursday (24 Jun), Mr Wong announced that Singapore is on track to open up further.
This includes allowing larger groups to gather in higher-risk settings such as dining in.
Specifically, he said Singapore should be able to allow groups of up to 5 to dine in from mid-July, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
The task force will elaborate further on when this would happen in time to come but Mr Wong assured that Singapore should be able to proceed with this.
According to The Straits Times (ST), this news comes as Singapore’s vaccination programme continues to pick up its pace. We have also been regularly testing workers in higher-risk settings like F&B establishments.
From July, regular fast and easy testing (FET) will be mandatory for these employees.
Staff at gyms and fitness studios as well as places that provide personal care services like facials will also have to undergo the FET.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung added that Singapore will be ramping up vaccination efforts.
This is possible as the vaccine deliveries have been brought forward, allowing up to 80,000 doses to be administered daily.
Minister Wong also said that in time to come, authorities may revise public health guidelines for vaccinated individuals, reported CNA.
This could mean allowing larger group gatherings among those who’ve been fully inoculated.
Social distancing rules in such settings may also be relaxed.
These future changes could apply to settings like religious services, concerts, as well as sporting events.
The Task Force is also working on new guidelines for Singapore residents to travel abroad.
While these are still in the works, Mr Wong emphasised that underlying all of this is the need to get Singapore’s vaccination rates up.
This is certainly welcomed news amidst the ups and downs of our battle against Covid-19.
While we look forward to more updates, let’s remember not to let our guard down in such crucial times.
In the meantime, do sign up for vaccinations if you have not done so and encourage those around you to do so as well.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Galen Crout on Unsplash.
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