No entry to malls, no dine-in at hawker centres - what are the new rules for the unvaccinated?

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Saturday (Oct 9) that vaccination-differentiated safe management measures will be expanded.

These measures, which are currently in force at places like food and beverage (F&B) establishments, will be further expanded to places like shopping malls, attractions, as well as hawker centres and coffee shops from next Wednesday (Oct 13).

Under the expanded curbs, those who are unvaccinated will not be able to dine at hawker centres and coffee shops but can buy takeaway food. Current measures do not allow them to dine at F&B outlets.

They will also not be allowed to enter shopping malls or visit attractions from next Wednesday.

Q: Are children 12 years old or below allowed to dine-in, visit shopping malls and attractions as they are unvaccinated?

A: Yes, they are allowed to do so under a special provision.

Q: Who is considered fully vaccinated?

A: An individual is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving the full regimen of Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty, Moderna or other World Health Organisation Emergency Use Listing vaccines.

Those who have recovered from Covid-19 or have obtained a negative Covid-19 pre-event test result taken 24 hours before the event are also considered fully vaccinated.

Q: What is considered a valid PET result? Can I take a self-swab antigen rapid test (ART) at home?

A: MOH’s website, last updated on Friday (Oct 8), strongly encourages those who require a PET to take an ART as it has a quicker turnaround time.

A valid negative Covid-19 test result refers to a negative polymerase chain reaction test or ART administered or supervised by MOH-approved Covid-19 test providers.

Negative results obtained from a self-administered ART or self-administered ART performed under supervision by parties other than MOH-approved Covid-19 test providers are not recognised for PET.

Q: Will the unvaccinated be able to enter shopping malls?

A: No, unvaccinated people will not be able to enter shopping malls or large standalone stores. However, large standalone supermarkets are exempted from this.

Q: How will the rules be enforced in hawker centres and coffee shops?

A: The National Environment Agency said safe distancing enforcement officers will conduct selective checks as part of their patrols to verify the vaccination status of diners at hawker centres and coffee shops.

Diners will be required to show their vaccination status on the TraceTogether app, or to provide the TraceTogether token to be scanned for their vaccination status.

Diners found to have breached the rules will be warned and have their particulars recorded. Enforcement action will be taken against repeat offenders and those who refuse to cooperate.

The Singapore Food Agency will work with coffee shop operators to do their part to check their dine-in patrons' vaccination status wherever possible, for instance, at fixed points such as the drinks stall when patrons purchase drinks.