Agencies to step up enforcement at F&B outlets & other public areas this CNY: MSE

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Alfie Kwa | January 28, 2022, 07:25 PM

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Food and beverage (F&B) outlets and individuals are at risk of being fined if they breach Covid-19 safe management measurements this upcoming festive season.

During the upcoming festive period, agencies will be stepping up enforcement at hotspots including Food and Beverage (F&B) outlets, markets, malls, supermarkets and parks, said the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) on Friday (Jan. 28).

MSE said that "there is a strong need to exercise caution amid the surging Omicron infections".

Here are the measures in place during this period:

Five unique visitors per day

The permissible group size for social gatherings remains at five persons.

Correspondingly, the maximum number of unique visitors per household will remain at five persons per day.

Individuals are encouraged to take an antigen rapid test (ART ) in advance of such gatherings, particularly if there will be elderly or unvaccinated family members present.

Dining-in is limited to a group of five

Prevailing rules at F&B establishments will continue to apply, including for reunion dinners or other CNY meals at these establishments.

Social gatherings remain capped at five persons and multiple table bookings exceeding this are not permitted, except for those from the same household.

In addition, intermingling across different tables is strictly not allowed.

F&B operators should double-check the reservations they have already received to ensure that the bookings are in order.

Further, Lo hei should be done without any shouting of auspicious phrases, and diners should remain masked when tossing the ingredients.

MSE warns that firm enforcement action will be taken against operators and individuals who do not comply with Safe Management Measures (SMMs), including the proper wearing of masks.

Since the start of 2022, 56 F&B outlets and 360 individuals have been penalised for breaching SMMs and Vaccination Differentiated SMMs (VDS).

Amongst them, 27 F&B establishments, hotels and malls were ordered to close and 29 businesses were issued fines.

A total of 341 individuals were fined for breaches of SMMs and VDS while the particulars of 19 individuals were taken for gathering in groups larger than the permitted size in parks and beaches managed by NParks on Jan. 23. This included a group of 11 individuals at Toa Payoh Town Park.

MSE said that NParks would be taking appropriate enforcement action against them.

Other updates

Safe Distancing Ambassadors (SDAs) and Enforcement Officers (EOs) will continue to be deployed daily during the festive period to enforce SMMs at various premises and public spaces, including during peak hours, weekends and at hotspots.

To manage crowds, Temple Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from 12pm on Jan. 31 to 2am on Feb.1. Visitors can check the latest safety measures in Chinatown on the Singapore Chinatown Facebook page before visiting.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will introduce additional measures at Chinatown to reduce crowding and increase enforcement efforts to ensure compliance to SMMs.

In addition, the market and hawker centre in Chinatown Complex, the National Environment Agency and Jalan Besar Town Council will only have a stipulated allowed capacity of 300 persons at a time in anticipation of a rise in footfall during the festive period.

All campsites and barbecue pits in NParks-managed parks and gardens remain closed. NParks will also temporarily close access to some areas in our parks – such as lawns, hard courts, shelters and car parks – when these areas get too crowded or where users remain non-compliant with SMMs.

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Photo by Galen Crout on Unsplash.