F&B dine-in to cease from 16 May till 13 June and everything you need to know of the new Phase 2

The government has announced Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) whereby all restaurants and bars are to cease dining in from 16 May until 13 June, group sizes will be limited to just two persons and work-from-home will be back to default.

“A pattern of local unlinked community cases has emerged and is persisting,” reads the press statement from the Ministry of Health. “This is worrying as it suggests that there may be unknown cases in the community with possible ongoing community transmission and that our earlier measures to break the chains of transmission may be insufficient.”

Here are your biggest questions, answered.

So will all mask-off activities be ceased?
Yes. Dining in F&B establishments will be halted but restaurants and bars can continue operations to provide takeaways and deliveries. This includes hawker centres and food courts. Strenuous indoor exercises for both individual and group activities, facial services, singing and playing of instruments that require expulsion of air too will be ceased.

Can I visit shopping malls and go to places of worship?
Yes, but there are new rules. Shopping malls and showrooms may continue operating but with a limit to 16sqm per person. Odd and even date entry restrictions on Sundays to popular malls will continue. Places of congregational worship will have a reduced capacity to 50 attendees without pre-event testing but 100 attendees with. Museums and public libraries will be operating at a reduced capacity of 25 percent.

I run a home-based business, can I still operate?
Yes, but only contactless delivery and collections will be allowed.

Can I still go to the cinema?
For now, yes, but there will be no food or drinks allowed and safe distancing between groups (of up to 2 persons) will be enforced. There may also be pre-event testing.

Can I still get my haircut?
Yes, you can. Hairdressers and hair salons will still be allowed to open but services which require masks off will be prohibited.

(Main and featured image: Victor He/Unsplash)

This story first appeared in Lifestyle Asia Singapore.