Well, we can’t say that we didn’t see this coming in; with the recent surge of cases from the Jurong Fishery Port and KTV clusters, it is better to be safe than sorry. Trust me, this is disappointing and frustrating news for everyone involved, but I guess we have to do our part if we are ever to move back into Phase 3. With the new tightening of measures from the Multi-Ministry Task Force, we are essentially reverting to Phase 2 (Heightened Alert). Yes, it does feel like one step forward, three steps back, but we’ve certainly been here before, and we can do it again.
Group sizes to go from 5 pax to 2 pax
Social gatherings will go back down from a maximum of 5 pax to a maximum of 2 pax. There will also be a cap of two unique visitors per household per day. Of course, we should also limit our social gatherings to no more than two per day.
However, the visitor cap per household will not be counted for grandparents taking care of grandchildren. Intermingling between grandchildren of different households is also not encouraged, and grandparents are advised to get fully vaccinated.
Dining-in to cease; back to takeaways and delivery
It seems we don’t have to grapple with complicated dining-in rules anymore. Starting from 22 July till 18 August 2021, dining-in will not be allowed for F&B establishments; only takeaway and delivery options will be available.
Hawker centres and wet markets will also be implementing mandatory SafeEntry check-in for better tracing efforts.
Mask-off indoor activities will not be allowed
To reduce the risk of transmission, strenuous mask-off indoor activities and classes will also not be allowed. This includes indoor mask-off group activities as well. At the same time, mask-off outdoor activities and classes are allowed with a max of 2 pax.
Indoor and outdoor mask-on activities are allowed with a max of 30 pax, in groups of up to 2 pax.
Services that require masks to be removed to cease
Services that require you to take off your masks, such as facials and makeup services, are suspended. Yes, you can put off a facial during this Phase 2 (HA). However, these restrictions will not be applied to medical and dental consultations that require patients to have their masks.
WFH to remain the default
For homebodies, work from home remains the default, with employees taking staggered work start times and flexible schedules.
Social gatherings in the workplace will not be allowed, so celebrate your co-worker’s birthday on Zoom if you must. If there has to be a workplace event, there will be no food allowed at these venues.
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