Covid-19: Temporary fencing at hawker centres, markets to be removed from March 29

SINGAPORE — Temporary fencing at hawker centres and markets that facilitated Covid-19 vaccination-differentiated measures will be removed from Tuesday (March 29), when groups of up to five fully-vaccinated people will be allowed to dine in without checks on their vaccination status at the entry points. 

Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor said this in a Facebook post on Saturday, adding that the removal of fencing will "provide stallholders and patrons greater accessibility and convenience". 

Stickers to identify vaccinated individuals will also no longer be issued at hawker centres and markets, she added.

Instead, there will be spot checks conducted by safe distancing enforcement officers, and action will be taken against unvaccinated individuals if they are found dining in.

The move comes after the easing of safe management measures announced this week that take effect on Tuesday, which include the increase of group size caps from five to 10, and mask-wearing made optional outdoors. 

For coffee shops and canteens, they will also be able to accommodate groups of up to five vaccinated persons without entry checks on their vaccination status. 

However, if operators want to serve groups of six to 10 persons, they will still have to put in place vaccination-differentiated safe management measures, and "ensure that the necessary control measures and vaccination checks are implemented", said Dr Khor. 

Dr Khor had announced earlier this month that coffee shops and canteens will have three options to allow groups of up to five vaccinated diners to dine in. 

They can implement the measures based on area, time, or both. Operators who are interested in implementing one of the three options must submit a proposal to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) for approval. 

Most coffee shops TODAY spoke to earlier this month said that it was not worth the hassle of taking up the new infection control measures.

With the increase in group size caps to 10, TODAY understands that while groups of up to five will no longer require vaccination checks, coffee shops and canteens will still have to submit their proposals to SFA if they want to cater to groups of six to 10. 

Coffee shops who have already had SFA approval can likewise cater to groups of up to 10 from Tuesday. 

Dr Khor added that unvaccinated or partially vaccinated persons cannot dine in, but can continue to take away food from hawker centres, coffee shops and canteens.

"Safe distancing enforcement officers from (the National Environment Agency) and SFA will conduct spot checks at these premises, and enforcement action will be taken against unvaccinated individuals if they are found dining in," she added. 

OPERATORS CHEER MOVE

Coffee shop owners and hawkers rejoiced over the move to allow up to groups of five to dine in without vaccination checks. 

A spokesperson from Chang Cheng Mee Wah Coffeeshops, which has 27 coffee shops islandwide, said that not having vaccination checks will save them operational costs. 

"We consider having five persons per table to be most efficient for our current seating arrangement, as we will not be placing manpower to avoid an increase in cost on our end," the spokesperson said. 

She added that the signages and fencing at the coffee shops will be removed at the end of the business day on Monday in anticipation of the loosened measures on Tuesday. 

"We are sure there will be a surge in customers following this measure," the spokesperson said. 

Mr Kenneth Lee, the owner of Hai Fong Restaurant, a coffee shop at Toa Payoh, said that he has already implemented an area for vaccinated diners in his coffee shop and is looking forward to opening up to more customers. 

"All of the operators are very happy that now 10 people can sit together. For stores selling zi char (Chinese dishes), they are very happy because when the rules only permitted two people, they were losing a lot of money," he said. 

Mr Cornelius Tan, who runs Chai Wee Cuttlefish at Chinatown Complex and is vice-secretary of the Chinatown Complex Hawkers Merchant Association, said: "Since Chinese New Year, the crowd has been very good, especially with measures loosening up. 

"Family and friends can visit stalls where they have had good meals and drinks together. I think this is something everyone is looking forward to."