Wear Your Masks When Chatting At Eateries, Especially After Meals Are Finished: MSE

Diners Must Wear Masks At Eateries When Talking, To Stop Spread Of Droplets

Covid-19 has brought significant changes to our lifestyles. One of them, includes having to wear masks when we leave the house.

We can only take off masks in public spaces when we’re eating or drinking, or performing strenuous activities.

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Such rules aren’t new, but it looks like Singapore residents may need reminders of this, after 32 diners were fined $300 each for going against Covid-19 safety measures last week.

Among them, 2 were caught for not wearing their masks after finishing their meals.

2 Diners Didn’t Put Masks On After Eating, Fined $300 Each For Breaching Measures

$300 fine for those not wearing masks in eateries after finishing meals

According to The Straits Times on Sunday (4 Oct), a spokesperson from Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) stressed the rules for wearing masks in public.

In particular, diners should continue their mealtime chatter with masks on, especially after they have finished their food.

Those who continue to ignore the rules, are risking strict enforcement action like hefty fines. And they will be issued “without further warning”.

Dining out has risks of transmission due to droplets

Covid-19 mainly spreads via contact and respiratory droplets, reports The Straits Times.

The spokesperson explained that there are risks of transmission when it comes to dining out, because it involves:

• People sitting in enclosed spaces
• Taking off masks for a period of time to allow consumption of food

With no masks on, especially during post-meal conversations, this allows easy spread of droplets from one person to another, said the spokesperson.

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Hence, diners are advised to promptly put on their masks once they’re done eating and drinking.

Droplets spread via talking or singing too

According to World Health Organization (WHO), Covid-19 mainly spreads via respiratory droplets between people.

This may occur when an individual is in close contact – i.e. less than 1m distance – with another person who suffers from respiratory symptoms like coughing or sneezing.

Droplets are spread easily when this happens, even as the infected person talks or sings, reports BC Centre for Disease Control.

The healthy person in question, is then deemed to be at risk of having their mouths, noses and eyes exposed to potentially infectious droplets.

Safety rules are there for good reason

Despite daily new cases being lower than normal, it’s important to note that we aren’t 100% Covid-free yet.

During this time, we should continue to be socially responsible, and follow safety rules — they’re there for good reason.

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Featured image adapted from Medicalxpress.