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Covid-19: Live performances, worship services and other events can take up to 500 fully vaccinated attendees from Aug 10

SINGAPORE — From Tuesday (Aug 10), events such as worship services and live performances will be able to admit up to 500 attendees if all participants are fully vaccinated, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday (Aug 6).

Worshippers at Faith Methodist Church on July 11, 2021.

Worshippers at Faith Methodist Church on July 11, 2021.

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  • From Aug 10, events such as worship services and cinema screenings may take up to 500 fully vaccinated attendees
  • If not every attendee is vaccinated, only up to 50 participants will be allowed without pre-event testing
  • If the Covid-19 crisis remains under control, capacity limits for events will be raised further for vaccinated attendees from Aug 19

 

SINGAPORE — From Tuesday (Aug 10), events such as worship services and live performances will be able to admit up to 500 attendees if all participants are fully vaccinated, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday (Aug 6).

The relaxation of rules also covers cinema screenings, business-oriented events such as exhibitions, spectator sport events as well as marriage solemnisations held at places other than homes and the Registry of Marriages building.

If not every attendee has been vaccinated against Covid-19, only up to 50 participants can be allowed at these events without pre-event testing.

As for wedding receptions or dinners, up to 250 attendees will be allowed if all of them are fully vaccinated, with groups of up to five at a table. 

The Government's Covid-19 task force announced these moves at a press conference on Friday.

In a statement on Saturday announcing more details of the rules for religious activities, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) said children aged 12 years and below can participate in vaccinated-only worship services provided they make up no more than 20 per cent of the total number of worshippers on site. If there is more than one child in the group, all children must be from the same household.

Children aged 12 years and below are currently ineligible for any Covid-19 vaccine in the National Vaccination Programme, and are exempted from undergoing pre-event testing.

At live performances, unmasking and the singing or playing of wind instruments may resume for vaccinated performers, subject to infection control rules.  

MCCY added that from Aug 10, up to 30 people will be allowed during live performance elements during congregational and other worship services, whether on stage, backstage or off-stage. Of these, 10 may unmask at any given time, including those who are unmasking to sing or play wind/brass instruments. Up to 10 such performers may unmask at the same time.  

If there are performers unmasking for singing or playing of wind/brass instruments, everyone involved in the live performance elements must be vaccinated. All worshippers participating in the worship service must be vaccinated as well.

Those who will be unmasking for singing or playing of wind/brass instruments must also undergo an antigen rapid test.

Meanwhile, funerals, wakes, installation of niches and post-funeral rites at places of worship can involve up to 30 attendees at any time from Aug 10, an increase from 20 persons today, and in groups of up to five people.

Visits to columbaria at places of worship should be kept as short as possible, with no mingling between groups, and from Aug 10, each group may have up to five people, an increase from two today.

Religious rites that are not part of a worship service are limited to five worshippers at any one time. All other religious activities, such as religious classes, remain suspended.

The National Arts Council will release more details about the updated measures for live performances.

WHAT NEXT IF SITUATION STAYS UNDER CONTROL

From Aug 19, event sizes and capacity limits will be increased further if the pandemic remains under control here, MOH said.

If that is the case, the adjustments that will kick in are:

  • Up to 1,000 fully vaccinated attendees will be allowed at congregational and other worship services; cinemas; meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions; live performances; spectator sport events; and marriage solemnisations

  • Other non-congregational religious activities will be allowed to resume, including religious classes, in gatherings of up to 50 people

  • The operating capacity of attractions and cruises will be raised to 50 per cent from the present 25 per cent

  • Museums and public libraries will be allowed to operate at an increased capacity of 50 per cent

  • Occupancy limits for malls and showrooms will go up to 10sqm of gross floor area per person, from the current 16 sqm per person

Separately, work-from-home requirements will also be eased. 

In particular, up to 50 per cent of employees who are able to work from home will be allowed to return to workplaces, MOH said.

Related topics

MOH Covid-19 coronavirus events wedding worship work from home

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