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Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)
Circulars

Advisory for Phase 2 Re-opening of Retail Establishments and Lifestyle-Related Services

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17 November 2020

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Who Should Know:
Mall developers, building owners, retail business owners

Effective Date:
22 October 2020

This has been superseded by the latest advisory. Please refer to the Circulars page.

  1. The Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) announced on 19 May that Singapore would exit theCircuit Breaker from 2 June and resume activities in three phases. On 15 June, the MTF announced that Phase 2 will commence on 19 June, with the resumption of most activities.

  2. To provide a safe environment for customers and workers, retail establishments and lifestyle-related services currently in operation must implementSafe Management Measures, as required by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and comply with the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations.

  3. In addition, retail establishments and lifestyle-related services are required to comply with the measures set out by Enterprise Singapore (ESG), Housing & Development Board (HDB), Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in this document. Establishments required to comply with these measures include malls, supermarkets and standalone stores1. The information in this document supersedes that in previous advisories or statements.

Resumption of retail operations

  1. The list of businesses that are allowed to operate from 19 June 2020 can be found on MTI’s website (https://covid.gobusiness.gov.sg/permittedlist/). Businesses in this list do not need to apply to MTI for exemption before resuming operations. They are required to submit the number of workers who are working on-site via the GoBusiness portal (https://covid.gobusiness.gov.sg) within two weeks of the date of resumption of on-site operations.

  2. From 22 October 2020, business-focused work-related events (both non customer-facing and customer-facing2) are allowed to resume within the workplace premises and third-party venues, including retail establishments.

    • Non customer-facing events:

      • Those organised by retail establishments are subject to a cap of 50 persons or lower, depending on venue capacity, and must comply with safe distancing measures.

      • Ensure at least 1m spacing between individuals at all times.

    • Customer-facing events:

      • Events organised by retail establishments or external parties at the retail premises are subject to the maximum number of individuals that the venue may accommodate after safe distancing measures are adhered to. See occupancy limits in paragraphs 6 and 7.

    • Such events are still not permitted at publicly accessible common spaces such as mall atriums, public transport nodes and HDB common areas.

    • Gatherings that are not work-related are not permitted (e.g. social celebrations such as birthdays or work celebrations such as anniversaries, organised by the enterprise).

    • Meals should not be the main feature of these work-related events. If food and drinks are provided, attendees must be seated, served individually, and minimise contact with one another while unmasked. Meal durations should be kept short to minimise the period that individuals are unmasked. Prevailing SMMs as indicated in MOM’s Requirements for Safe Management Measures at the workplace3 continue to apply.

Stipulated Occupancy Limits

  1. All malls and large standalone stores > 930 sqm (or 10,000 sqft) of Gross Floor Area (GFA) must comply with the occupancy limit of one person per 10 sqm of GFA4.

  2. All other stores (e.g. shops within malls, at HDB residential blocks, at MRT stations or bus interchanges) are not required to adhere to these occupancy limits as long as they can maintain at least one-metre distancing between individual customers (if they are alone), or groups of customers (up to 5 persons).

Safe Management Measures – Customer-facing Operations/Front-of-house

  1. The following measures apply to all customer-facing operations of retail establishments.

    1. Safe distancing

      1. Retail establishments are to ensure at least one-metre spacing between groups of patrons (of up to 5 persons).

      2. Retail establishments are to clearly demarcate queue lines for customers at entrances, cashier counters, weighing counters, fitting rooms and where required, and must ensure at least one-metre spacing between individual customers (e.g. through floor markers).

    2. Crowd management

      1. Activities and events at mall atriums must not be held5. Retail establishments may conduct customer-facing activities or events within workplace premises or at permitted third-party venues such as MICE locations, with prevailing SMMs to be adhered to.

      2. For common play areas for children/toddlers/infants in retail stores or malls6, operators must ensure at least one-metre spacing between groups of patrons (of up to 5 persons).

    3. Contact tracing

      1. All malls, large standalone stores, supermarkets, stores providing beauty services, and other large retail stores with > 930 sqm (or 10,000 sqft) of GFA must implement SafeEntry7 for customers and visitors, to facilitate the collection of information for contact tracing when needed.

    4. Health checks

      1. All malls, large standalone stores, supermarkets and stores providing beauty services must conduct temperature screening8 and checks on visible symptoms9 for customers at entrances10. Turn away those with fever and/or who appear unwell11.

    5. Cleanliness and hygiene

      1. All employees, customers, delivery personnel and other onsite personnel must put on their masks properly at all times12.

      2. Product testers and samples that require customer contact, e.g. cosmetics and food samples, as well as product testing on customers are not allowed.

      3. Retail establishments must ensure frequent cleaning and disinfection of:

        • Common spaces such as counters and display shelves, where customers are served;

        • Items such as shopping trolleys/baskets and handrails, which have high human contact; and

        • Interactive hardware such as iPads, self-checkout kiosks or lift buttons.

  2. Retail establishments should put up clear signages to remind customers of the above measures (in Para 8) where applicable, and train and deploy service personnel to provide clear communication to customers on safe distancing measures.

  3. Refer to Annex A [PDF, 53KB] for other recommended guidelines, andAnnex B [PDF, 193KB] on guidance for specific trades.

Safe Management Measures – Workplace Premises13

  1. To ensure COVID-safe workplaces, retail establishments should take care of their workers, workplaces and those who may become unwell at their workplaces, as outlined inMOM’s Requirements for Safe Management Measures at the Workplace.

  2. For non customer-facing work-related events, please see paragraphs 5a. and 5c.

Enforcement of measures

  1. Government agencies will be conducting inspections to check on the proper implementation of the SMMs. Under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act passed in Parliament on 7 April 2020, first-time offenders will face a fine of up to S$10,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both. Subsequent offences may face a fine of up to S$20,000, imprisonment of up to twelve months, or both.

  2. Businesses that do not implement or comply with the government’s requirements on safe management measures may be ineligible for government grants, loans, tax rebates and other assistance.

  3. Annex C [PDF, 57KB]: Checklist of Safe Management Measures (Customer-facing Operations)

Thank You.

ENTERPRISE SINGAPORE
HOUSING & DEVELOPMENT BOARD
SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD
URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Updated as of 17 November 2020


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1These refer to stores that occupy entire buildings, e.g. IKEA, Decathlon Innovation Lab.

2Non customer-facing events include conferences, seminars, corporate retreats, etc, while customer-facing events include product launches, store openings, marketing/branding events, workshops etc.

3Refer to MOM’s Requirements for Safe Management Measures at the Workplace.

4For mixed-use developments, GFA refers to the retail component only.

5Such activities may be allowed for supermarkets on a case-by-case basis, if an extension of existing retail space is deemed necessary to ensure safe distancing. Approval must be sought from ESG.

6These play areas refer to the facilities provided free of charge in the shops or at the malls’ common areas.

7More information on SafeEntry and a full list of places where SafeEntry must be deployed can be found at https://www.safeentry.gov.sg/deployment. Businesses should note that SafeEntry can be done via QR code/NRIC scanning, or manual entry of NRIC number & particulars through a dedicated device. Businesses should not decline entry to visitors unless the individual does not use SafeEntry QR or SafeEntry NRIC application and refuses to provide particulars to assist with manual entry.

8Individuals with temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius are considered to be having a fever.

9Notable visible symptoms to look out for include: (a) coughing; (b) sneezing; (c) breathlessness; and (d) a runny nose.

10Supermarkets and stores providing beauty services in malls need not conduct temperature screening and checks on visible symptoms for customers if the mall is already doing so. They should however do so, if they operate outside the mall hours.

11Except where the individual is entering the permitted premises to seek medical treatment for a specified symptom.

12Under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020, every individual must wear a mask over the individual’s nose and mouth at all times when the individual is not in his or her ordinary place of residence. Refer to MOH’s latest guidance for use of masks and face shields at https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlights/details/guidance-for-use-of-masks-and-face-shields.

13Refers to the retail establishments’ back-of-house operations involving employees, including at offices, warehouses and manufacturing facilities.

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