Singapore will be entering Phase 3 on Dec. 28, 2020.

Social gatherings will be allowed to have up to eight persons in total.

This is an increase from the current five persons per gathering today.

Up to eight participants for sports activities

In a Facebook post by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong on Dec. 24, he said that up to eight persons will also be allowed to take part in sports activities in Phase 3.

This means that team sports such as basketball, football, futsal, sepak takraw, hockey and volleyball can now resume with a 4v4 format.

Up to eight rowers are also allowed in one dragonboat.

However, Tong added: "Not quite time for a 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2 formation (for football) yet, but this gives sports fans some additional options."

Safe distancing

In a Dec. 24 press release, national governing body Sport Singapore (SportSG) said that an additional service provider, such as an instructor or a coach from a permitted enterprise, is also allowed to guide a group for organised programmes and classes.

Individuals should maintain a distance of two metres or two arms-length while exercising or playing sport.

If there is more than one group sharing a space, the groups must not interact and must maintain a distance of three metres apart from one another at all times.

A distance of three metres should also be maintained for indoors high intensity or high movement exercise classes.

Contact sports

In spite of this, SportSG said that contact sports will be permitted.

But sports with prolonged grappling, such as wrestling, MMA and jujitsu, are strongly advised to adopt cohorting arrangements to manage infection risks.

Cohorting requires that no participant changes groups without observing a 14-day cooling period, during which the person changing groups should avoid participating in sports with prolonged grappling with any other group.

Sports facilities

ActiveSG stadiums, studios, gyms, indoor sport halls and swimming complexes will remain open the public.

In addition, lawns, playing fields and open spaces in parks and state lands under the National Parks Board and the Singapore Land Authority will reopen for public use.

Organised group sport and physical exercise and activity may proceed in these spaces, said SportSG.

But members of the public are advised to be socially responsible and to observe safe management measures.

In Phase 3, the maximum number of people allowed at each facility will be limited according to its gross floor area, based on 8 sq m per people or 50 people, whichever is lower.

Enforcement officers and safe distancing ambassadors will continue to be deployed around Singapore to ensure the measures are adhered to.

Businesses

According to SportSG, fitness activities organisers and operators should only resume operations when they can comply with safe management measures.

They are also required to submit the number of workers who are working on-site via the GoBusiness portal and have a safe management plan covering the measures relevant to their operations within two weeks of resuming on-site operations.

SportSG said that it will be conducting on-site inspections, where businesses found not complying with safe management measures may be required to close.

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Top images from Edwin Tong/FB.