Covid19 : Singapore eases workplace restrictions
As Singapore is set to ease restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 due to an improvement in the pandemic situation, companies are preparing towards allowing their employees to return to offices.
The multi-ministerial task force tackling the health crisis recently announced that work from home will no longer be the default requirement from today. From now on, 50% of employees can return to their workplaces.
When Singapore was first hit by Covid-19 in 2020, companies were finding it difficult to make hybrid working conditions possible. In September, the government allowed some workers to return to their offices. However, in May this year, the country once again opted for work from home amid a huge increase in infections.
Apart from easing restrictions for workplaces, Singapore from today will abolish the mandatory temperature checks before entering public places and increase the occupancy limits for shopping malls and showrooms. The operating capacity of cinemas, cruises and libraries will also go up to 50%.
Short-term pass holders who have been in Singapore for an extended period of time can now get COVID-19 vaccine jabs under the national vaccination programme, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday (Aug 18). Among those eligible are holders of short-term work passes and special passes, such as those on training employment passes, training work permits and work holiday passes.
About 40,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses are currently being administered daily in Singapore, down from a peak of 80,000, MOH said. As of Monday, 76 % of Singapore’s population has received their full COVID-19 vaccination regimen, with 82 per cent having received at least one dose.
