Govt to tighten curbs on F&B operators, as part of move to trim list of essential services
There will be a tighter definition on which food and beverage services will be allowed to operate, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).
SINGAPORE — There will be a tighter definition on which food and beverage (F&B) services will be allowed to operate, said the Ministry of Health (MOH), as the authorities move to reduce the list of essential services to further limit the movement of people here.
For businesses still allowed to operate, the authorities will place additional restrictions on their operations to further reduce interactions, said MOH in a press release on Tuesday (April 20).
The list of businesses that will still be allowed to operate will be updated at https://covid.gobusiness.gov.sg/essentialservices/.
Explaining why there was a need to tighten this list, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said the multi-ministry task force dealing with the Covid-19 disease had analysed the locally-infected cases that occurred after the circuit breaker measures took effect and noticed a trend.
“Many of them have been working as part of essential services, or have family members who are working, because these are the people who are still out and about," he said during a press conference.
"We do need our essential workers. We appreciate their contributions, but we have to reduce the numbers who are working."
He said cuts will be made across all sectors of the economy, including businesses that are consumer-facing, such as F&B establishments and other services.
“This will mean that all of us may face some degradation of services or we will not be able to access F&B services we have become accustomed to,” said Mr Wong. “I hope everyone understands why we need to need to make this important move.”
Businesses which are affected by the new restrictions will be notified by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
For businesses which can still operate at their work premises during the circuit breaker period, employers must register workers who are required to work on-site, said MOH.
It added that the number of workers allowed to work on-site will also be reduced to the minimum needed.
These workplaces must also put in place effective measures aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 within the premises.
They must not allow teams working in different locations to interact physically with one another, implement safe distancing measures at every workplace premise and ensure that workers wear masks at the workplace.
They must also implement a system in which they can record their workers’ movements in and out of the workplace, said MOH.
