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Singapore will embark on a controlled approach to resume activities safely over three phases.
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong announced this at the Multi-Ministry Taskforce Press Conference on 19 May 2020.
The decision was reached after an assessment of the current situation where new community cases have significantly declined, and the dormitory situation has stabilised.
There will, however, likely be a rise in new community cases, with more activities and interactions, predicted the health minister. It is critical to detect and contain these cases quickly and prevent large clusters from forming.
The re-opening plans will not mean a return to life as it was before COVID-19, stressed the Taskforce.
The new normal will include the widespread adoption of safe management measures and technology to carry out daily activities safely.
Phase 1 – Safe Re-Opening from 2 June 2020
Many restrictions that are being implemented now will still be in place.
This means social, economic and entertainment activities that carry a higher risk of transmission will remain closed. Most retail outlets and other personal services and dining in at F&B outlets will not be allowed.
Economic activities that do not pose a high risk of transmission will resume first.
Everyone should continue to leave home only for essential activities and should wear a mask when doing so. As seniors are a particularly vulnerable group, they should continue to stay at home as much as possible.
Safe Workplaces
Most offices can re-open, but with telecommuting adopted to the maximum extent. Those who have been working from home so far should continue to do so, and employees should go to the office only where necessary.
Employers must put in place and enforce safe management measures at the workplace, and employees must adhere strictly to them.
Safe Home and Community
Contact with people outside of individual households should continue to be limited.
Each household will be allowed to visit their parents or grandparents staying elsewhere. This is to allow families to spend time and support one another.
Each receiving household should limit such visits to only one per day, and to not more than two persons who must be from the same visiting household.
All members of both households must observe good hygiene practices during the visit.
Safe Schools
Preschools will gradually re-open by levels from 2 June 2020, with full resumption by 10 June 2020.
Students from graduating cohorts in the primary and secondary levels will attend school daily. In contrast, other cohorts will rotate weekly, alternating between Home-Based Learning (HBL) and returning to school for lessons.
Junior Colleges and Millennia Institute will arrange to have half of their students back in school at any one time. Students in the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) whose terms are in session will be able to return to campus for practical and lab-based sessions, with lectures remaining online.
All staff and students will be required to wear masks or face shields when in school or on campus.
Safe Care
Healthcare services such as specialist outpatient services, medical procedures, allied health services, community-based services, and chronic disease management will resume.
Preventive health services, such as flu vaccinations, will recommence.
Complementary healthcare services will resume for one-to-one sessions and by appointment, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) needle acupuncture will be allowed for all conditions.
The current measures limiting the scope of senior services and senior-centric activities will remain to protect seniors.
However, Senior Activity Centres will gradually resume some activities in a safe and controlled manner to address the psychosocial well-being of seniors with little or no social support.
Community-based centre services for persons with disabilities will also gradually re-open to serve those who need the services, with safe distancing measures in place.
Staff will continue to adhere to necessary precautions, including the wearing of masks, maintaining good personal hygiene and ensuring regular cleaning of activity equipment and shared spaces.
Phases Two and Three
In Phase Two, social activities in small groups will be allowed.
More firms and businesses, starting with F&B dine-in and retail outlets, gyms and fitness studios, and tuition and enrichment centres, will gradually be allowed to re-open.
Employers should, however, still ensure that those who can work from home continue to do so.
Depending on the situation, the Government hopes to have all students fully return to school and IHLs increase the number of students back on campus for face-to-face learning.
Sports, recreation and outdoor facilities will also start to re-open, subject to safe management practices for both facility staff and users being in place.
Phase Three is expected to be a state at which Singapore will remain until an effective vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 is developed.
By this time, social, cultural, religious and business gatherings or events would have resumed, although gathering sizes would still have to be limited to prevent large clusters from arising.
Seniors would have been able to resume day-to-day activities while practising safe distancing measures and avoiding peak period travel, crowded places and large groups.
Services and activities that involve significant prolonged close contact, like spas and massages, or significant crowd management risk in an enclosed space, like cinemas, theatres, bars, pubs and nightclubs, would also have been allowed to re-open.
These are all subject to their ability to implement strict safe management measures effectively.
Read more about the approach to safely exit the circuit breaker here.
