As of 2359 on the 26th of March (until 30/04/2020), there will be the following policies put into place:
- Gatherings outside of work and school should be limited to less than ten people
- There should be physical distancing of at least one meter between people
- F&B outlets must have at least 1m of space between tables and should limit seating sizes to ten people max
- Mass events (eg. concerts and conferences) must be deferred or cancelled
- Tuition centres must be closed
- Places of attraction, malls and museums must limit entry pax in order to stay open
- Bars and cinemas are to be closed
These policies are to significantly reduce the density of crowds in these venues, especially during peak periods, said the Ministry of Health.
In addition to this, there will be stepped up enforcement: safe distancing measures now have legal force and there will be penalties for breaching SHNs (stay-home notices). Those who breach the SHN will face fines of up to $10,000 or jail of up to six months or both.
Along with these measures, we must also note the announcement made on 24/03/2020 where all religious services in Singapore were suspended in order to prevent the spread of the virus to people of all backgrounds in enclosed places of worship. The closure of all 70 mosques here was initially planned for only two weeks but on March 24, MUIS (Religious Council of Singapore) announced that this suspension will be extended indefinitely in order to prevent any further spread of the coronavirus.
"The closures mean that no congregational prayers, including Friday prayers, can be performed at mosques. The council said that under Muslim law, the possibility of becoming ill and fear for one's safety are valid reasons not to hold or attend such prayers." – Straits Times
As of yet, schools still have not been closed by the government but some International Schools (eg. Australian International School of Singapore) have closed of their own volition and established online classes. There were two new clusters of cases yesterday and both were located at schools: one at a pre-school and one at DCIS. Many international schools are now testing out online classes as a pre-emptive measure whilst all tuition centres (which have been closed due to new Singaporean policies) are also beginning Skype tuitions.
These policies were put into place to reduce the spread of the virus and are extremely necessary as there has been a sudden upsurge in the quantities of daily cases in Singapore. See here to see daily statistics of Covid'19 cases in Singapore; https://instagram.com/covidaware.sg
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