S’pore Bans Dine-Ins From 22 Jul, Only Groups Of 2 Allowed During Phase 2

Singapore Returns To Phase 2 Heightened Alert From 22 Jul-18 Aug

The number of community cases in Singapore over recent days has been rather concerning, with the emergence of large clusters linked to KTVs and the Jurong Fishery Port.

In another urgent bid to contain the outbreak, Singapore will return to Phase 2 Heightened Alert (P2HA) on Thursday (22 Jul) — just 5 weeks after we came out of it.

That means nobody will be able to dine out for a while. And groups of only 2 people can gather in public.

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These measures are expected to last till 18 Aug. Here’s a summary of the latest updates.

Phase 2 Heightened Alert measures reinstated

During a press conference on Tuesday (20 Jul), the Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) announced that Singapore will re-enter P2HA in light of the recent surge in cases.

This comes just days after tightened measures restricting dine-in groups to 2 kicked in.

According to a media release from MOH, some of the P2HA measures that will take effect soon are:

1. Only 2 distinct visitors per household per day
2. Up to 2 social gatherings per day
3. Grandchildren being cared for daily by their grandparents won’t be counted towards the  2-person cap on visitors or social gatherings
4. Strenuous indoor exercise classes or indoor sports and exercise activities will be banned
5. Facials, saunas and make-up services will discontinue
6. Activities like singing and the playing of wind or brass instruments are not allowed
7. Staff of businesses that stay open, like F&B outlets, must get Fast and Easy Tests regularly every 14 days

Mandatory check-ins at markets

If you’re planning on going to wet markets and hawkers centres during this period, remember to bring your TraceTogether token or have the TraceTogether app installed on your phone.

That’s because it’ll be compulsory to check in using TraceTogether using this period.

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Considering the fact that Covid-19 is spreading in our markets, that’s a necessary move.

Measures will be reviewed in 2 weeks

The ministers acknowledged during the press conference that the restrictive measures would disappoint Singaporeans. They empathised with the F&B industry in particular.

However, the “public health situation changed in a short few days”, and these measures are necessary as the current spike in cases affects a “wider spectrum of the population”.

The government will review the measures in 2 weeks, they said. Based on the situation at the time, adjustments will be made.

Get vaccinated & stay safe

The further tightening of dining-in measures will surely come as a downer for most of us.

However, as community cases continue to spike, the authorities have no choice but to curb the infections before they get out of control.

Meanwhile, we hope those who have not gotten vaccinated will do so ASAP to protect themselves and their loved ones.

For now, we can only hope that our situation improves sooner rather than later.

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Featured image adapted from Bernard Tan on Flickr.