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People in Singapore, who have had it up to here with staying at home, buying takeaway, eating in the great outdoors, in their vehicles, and quite often, at discreet corners in public hoping no one spots them, have headed out to dine in at food and beverage establishments at the stroke of midnight on Aug. 10, 2021.

Diners were seen streaming in to F&B places in the heartland neighbourhoods that were able to pivot their operations quickly enough to capture the crowd.

Photos taken at Serangoon Gardens and Hougang Avenue 8 showed two prata shops enjoying brisk business, as their tables arranged with safe distances between them welcomed back the diners.

These establishments were the ones poised to capture the hungry and restless crowds, as Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures implemented on July 22 eased on Aug. 10.

Everyone is allowed to dine in in groups of two at hawker centres and coffee shops, regardless of vaccination status, as these venues are open-air and naturally ventilated.

A cursory check online showed some restaurants had already started accepting reservations for vaccinated and unvaccinated people even before 12am, Aug. 10.

Hawker centres ready when day breaks

But not all F&B places were ready to accept dine-in customers the day after Singapore's National Day.

The Chomp Chomp Food Centre just across the street from R.K. Eating House in Serangoon Gardens was mostly closed for the night, with only a few stalls left open at midnight, but with no dine-in customers in sight.

It was unclear if the seating had been rearranged to accommodate dine-in customers yet.

A few other eateries in Hougang Avenue 8, including one that sold mala fare, continued to only provide the takeaway option.

In Sengkang, the open-air Kopitiam Square had its seating made available for dine-in in the early hours of Aug. 10, but had only a few takers.

Background

Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures implemented on July 22 have eased on Aug. 10

The differentiated measures for vaccinated and unvaccinated people in Singapore have kicked in, with vaccinated people allowed to congregate in larger groups and having more dining options availed to them.

According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), vaccinated individuals refer to:

• Those who have received the full regimen of Pfizer-BioNTech/ Comirnaty, Moderna, with an additional two weeks for the vaccine to be fully effective.
• People who took the Sinovac, Sinopharm or AstraZeneca vaccines -- WHO EUL (Emergency Use Listing) vaccines -- with an additional two weeks for the vaccine to be fully effective.
• Those who have recovered from Covid-19.

Fully vaccinated people can dine in in groups of up to five in F&B establishments, such as restaurants, gather in groups of up to five people, receive five distinct visitors at home each day, and also be able to take part in other higher-risk activities where masks are removed, as well as larger events.

Singapore prepares to reopen step by step

If the situation remains stable, permitted event sizes and capacity limits for malls and attractions will further increase on Aug. 19.

This preparatory stage will last for about a month from Aug. 10 to early September.

It is the first stage in Singapore's four-step transition to becoming a Covid-19-resilient nation.

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All photos by Mandy How