SINGAPORE: Singapore has reached “a major milestone” in the fight against COVID-19, with the country now able to “breathe easier”, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Friday (Apr 22).
With COVID-19 infection rates stabilising, Mr Ong added that the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) level will be brought down from Orange to Yellow from Apr 26.
The DORSCON framework, which gives an indication of the current disease situation, was raised to Orange more than two years ago.
This move will be accompanied by the further easing of a number of measures across the community. Here’s what you need to know:
1. No more limits on group sizes
From Apr 26, there will no longer be a cap on group sizes.
This means you will no longer need to keep to groups of 10 people for mask-off activities. The cap on the number of unique visitors per household will also be lifted.
2. Back to the workplace
All employees can return to the workplace from Apr 26, up from the current limit of 75 per cent of those who can work from home.
They can also go mask-free when not physically interacting with others, and when they are not in customer-facing areas.
Everyone is still advised to “exercise social responsibility and maintain an appropriate safe distance from others while unmasked”, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).
3. No more safe distancing, capacity limits
As group size limits are lifted, safe distancing will no longer be required between individuals or groups.
The capacity limit of 75 per cent for mask-on events with more than 1,000 people will also be removed.
Masks will still be compulsory in indoor settings, including on public transport. MOH also encouraged individuals to exercise precaution such as wearing a mask in crowded outdoors areas.
4. Easing of vaccination-differentiated measures
From Apr 26, vaccination-differentiated safe management measures will be removed from all settings, with a few exceptions.
Proof of vaccination will still be required for food and beverage (F&B) establishments such as restaurants, coffee shops and hawker centres, as well as events with more than 500 participants at any one time and nightlife establishments where there will be dancing among patrons.
This is because these places may pose “higher risks of transmission” due to factors such as large crowds and unmasked activities, said MOH.
F&B establishments will not have to conduct checks on their customers. Instead, the onus will be on diners to abide by the rules.
This is already the case for hawker centres and coffee shops. Random spot checks will continue to be conducted.
Workforce vaccination measures implemented by the Ministry of Manpower will also be lifted.