In Oct, the outlook for karaoke places and nightclubs was bleak, as authorities said they won’t reopen anytime soon in Phase 3.
However, some of these “nightlife establishments” – which also includes bars, pubs, and discotheques – may reopen in a modified form.
Under a new pilot programme, some nightlife establishments will reopen and require masks on except while eating & drinking, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Friday (6 Nov).
Customers must also take a Covid-19 test 24 hours before their visit.
Nightlife establishments are seen as places where a high risk of spreading Covid-19 exists.
As such, the pilot programme will feature strict safe management measures.
They include:
The pilot programme will begin for bars and pubs from Dec, while the programme for karaoke lounges and nightclubs will start by Jan 2021.
This is because of the need to ensure that customers are Covid-19 negative.
The pilot for them will also last 3 months to test their readiness and whether they can reopen in future.
If any establishments breach the measures, they may be punished and removed from the pilot.
Naturally, a Covid-19 cluster will mean the pilot was a failure.
There are some establishments which have suffered greatly due to Covid-19 restrictions, and some may be thinking of leaving the industry.
They can either move to F&B, or leave the industry completely.
Those who’d like to pivot to F&B can apply for an Enterprise Singapore (ESG) grant of up to $50,000.
On the other hand, some may wish to leave instead.
Hence, the Government will support them through a ESG grant of $30,000, which they have to apply for. This will cover costs of cessation.
They’ll be expected to give retrenchment benefits to employees due to their cessation, or follow retrenchment benefit norms which tripartite bodies have laid out.
While the Government hasn’t laid out the places which will reopen, there is a small hope that the pilot will signal a return of some form of karaoke sessions or clubbing.
Clubbing and singing with masks on will become the norm. So will Covid-19 tests before either of these activities.
It’s definitely going to be a ‘new normal’, but at least these places can reopen.
Hopefully the pilot programme will be a success.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and Facebook.
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