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Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)
Circulars

Updated Advisory for Safe Management Measures at Food & Beverage Establishments

24 May 2021

This article has been migrated from an earlier version of the site and may display formatting inconsistencies.

Who Should Know:
Mall developers, building owners, food & beverage business owners

Effective Date:
16 May 2021

This has been superseded by the latest advisory.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

Circulars

 page.


  1. The Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) announced on 14 May 2021 that safe management measures will be further tightened to reduce the risk of COVID-19 community spread, with effect from 16 May through 13 June 2021.

  2. To provide a safe environment for customers and workers, food and beverage (F&B) establishments currently in operation must implementSafe Management Measures (SMMs), as required by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and comply with the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations.

  3. In addition, F&B establishments are required to comply with the measures set out by Enterprise Singapore (ESG), Housing & Development Board (HDB), Singapore Food Agency (SFA), Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in this document. The information in this document supersedes that in previous advisories or statements.

Latest updates for F&B establishments

  1. F&B establishments are to comply with the following from 16 May through 13 June 2021:

    1. All F&B establishments can only open for takeaway and/or delivery during this period. Dining-in is not permitted; this includes home-based private dining businesses.

      1. While customers and delivery personnel are allowed to enter the premises of the F&B establishments for takeaway or delivery, they must leave the premises once they have picked up their orders.

      2. During this period, F&B establishments should cancel all events and promotions that will generate crowding at their physical premises in a manner which is non-compliant with the SMMs.

    2. Employees of F&B establishments may consume their meals at the F&B premises1. However, the establishment must ensure that the following safe management measures are observed:

      1. Designate and clearly demarcate a dining area for employees only. The designated area should be out of public view wherever possible.

      2. Stagger employees’ meal times.

      3. Employees must dine alone and keep a distance of at least one metre from any other individual. They should refrain from interacting with other individuals.

      4. Employees should dine quickly and leave the designated dining area in a clean state after they have consumed their meals.

      5. Employees must wear their masks as soon as they have finished eating or drinking.

      6. Coffeeshop and food court stall operators may consume their meals at the tables in front of their stalls. They should also adhere to the measures stated in paragraphs 4.b.ii., 4.b.iii., 4.b.iv. and 4.b.v.

    3. F&B establishments may serve as venues for wedding solemnisations and/or work-related events by third parties and are required to comply with the SMMs for these events2. However, as wedding receptions are not allowed, food and drinks are not permitted to be served at wedding solemnisations. Food and drinks are also not allowed at work-related events.

Work-related events

  1. Work-related events (both non customer-facing and customer-facing3) can be held within the workplace premise and third-party venues. Prevailing guidelines for the respective event venues will apply.

    1. Non customer-facing events:

      1. Events held in F&B establishments are subject to a cap of 50 persons or a lower number, depending on venue capacity and safe distancing requirements.

      2. At least one-metre spacing between individuals must be maintained at all times.

      3. Food and drinks are not allowed.

      4. Prevailing SMMs as indicated in MOM’s Requirements for Safe Management Measures at the workplace4 continue to apply.

    2. Customer-facing events:

      1. Events organised by F&B establishments within their own F&B premises are subject to the maximum number of individuals that the venue may accommodate after safe distancing measures are adhered to.

      2. Events organised by external parties at F&B establishments (where the F&B premises now function as a third-party venue) are subject to a cap of 50 persons (excluding service staff) or a lower number, depending on venue capacity and safe distancing requirements.

      3. Food and drinks are not allowed.

      4. Each group must be limited to a maximum of 2 persons, with at least one-metre spacing between groups.

      5. Food fairs are not permitted.

      6. All other prevailing workplace and venue SMMs must be adhered to.

    3. Such events are not permitted at public and common areas such as mall atriums, public transport nodes, HDB estates and common corridors.

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

  1. The following measures apply to all customer-facing operations of F&B establishments:

    1. Queue management

      1. Clearly demarcate queue lines, put up signage to guide customers on where to queue to order and collect food, and ensure at least one-metre spacing between customers.

      2. Demarcate a waiting area for customers and delivery personnel to pick up their food.

      3. Implement pre-ordering and pre-payment solutions where possible to minimise physical clustering of customers waiting to place or pick up their orders.

      4. Encourage the use of self-checkouts, cashless or contactless payment methods to reduce contact between employees and customers.

      5. Implement contactless pick-up of food where possible to minimise interactions.

      6. Ensure that customers and delivery personnel observe at least one-metre spacing at all times and do not cluster together.

    2. Crowd management

      1. Radio broadcasts, all forms of television, film and video screenings5 and the provision or allowance of other forms of public entertainment activities such as live music, dancing and singing (by employees or customers), amusement devices, darts, billiards, pool, snooker, karaoke, gambling and/or gaming instruments (e.g. dice, mahjong tiles, playing cards)6 in the F&B premises are not permitted.  

      2. Recorded music, speech and sounds may be played, but only as soft background music7. This must not be louder than 60 decibels. As a gauge, this would be the sound level for a regular conversation.

      3. Common play areas for children/toddlers/infants in F&B establishments8 must be closed.

    3. Contact tracing

      1. As dine-in services are not allowed, F&B establishments are not required to implement SafeEntry for customers. However, all F&B establishments must require their employees and vendors to do SafeEntry check-in, and transit to TraceTogether-only SafeEntry when this is implemented from 17 May 2021. Refer to Annex A [PDF, 77KB] for details on the implementation of TraceTogether-only SafeEntry.

      2. From 15 June 2021, F&B establishments required to deploy SafeEntry for customers and visitors will need to provide the SafeEntry Gateway9 (SEGW) as an option for SafeEntry check-in. SEGW is available as a feature within the SafeEntry (Business) App (updated to version 1.1.0 and above) and as a physical standalone device (SEGW Box). These F&B establishments may apply for a free SEGW Box10.

    4. Cleanliness and hygiene

      1. F&B establishments must ensure that all employees, customers, delivery personnel and other onsite personnel wear their masks properly at all times. Employees who are eating or drinking onsite must wear their masks immediately after doing so.

      2. F&B establishments must ensure that common spaces and items, high-touch surfaces (e.g. counters, menus) and interactive components (e.g. tablets, smart kiosks) are frequently cleaned/disinfected

      3. Communal amenities for self-service (e.g. drink dispensers and condiment stations) must not be used11.

      4. Self-service food samples must not be provided.

      5. Hand sanitisers should be made available to employees and customers at common touchpoints (e.g. entry/exit doors, cashiers). Employees handling cash and other payment modes (e.g. credit cards) should clean or sanitise their hands before handling food and food packaging.

  2. F&B establishments should put up clear signages to remind customers to comply with safe distancing requirements where applicable, and train and deploy service personnel to provide clear communication to customers on SMMs.

  3. F&B establishments should allow customers to use their own clean and reusable containers when ordering takeaways. This will help to reduce the amount of waste generated and ease the demand for disposable food containers.

  4. Refer to Annex B [PDF, 17KB] for other recommended guidelines.

Safe Management Measures – Workplace Premises12/Back of House/Kitchen

  1. To ensure COVID-safe workplaces, F&B establishments should adhere to measures as outlined in MOM’s Requirements for Safe Management Measures at the Workplace, and take care of their workers, workplaces and those who may become unwell at their workplaces.

  2. Employers must ensure no cross-deployment across worksites13, i.e. no employee should work at more than one worksite.

    1. If cross-deployment cannot be avoided (e.g. due to the nature of the job), additional safeguards must be taken to minimise the risk of cross infection14.

    2. For venues that have been visited by positive COVID-19 cases and asked to close by the Ministry of Health (MOH), employees should not be redeployed to other worksites at all for the period of closure. If instructed to go for swabs, employers must ensure that their employees from these venues visit the designated Regional Screening Centre, “Swab and Send Home” (SASH) Public Health Preparedness Clinics or mobile swab sites for the COVID-19 test offered by MOH. These employees should stay at home and minimise social interactions during the period of closure even if their swab results are negative. They should also monitor their health closely, and visit a doctor immediately if unwell.

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 SMMs may be ineligible for government grants, loans, tax rebates and other assistance, and may also be subject to temporary closures.

    Annex A [PDF, 77KB]: Details of SafeEntry check-in and TraceTogether-only SafeEntry implementation
    Annex B [PDF, 17KB]: Other recommended guidelines for customer-facing operations


Thank You.

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

Updated as of 23 May 2021


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1This includes all F&B establishments such as those in shopping malls, industrial estates, coffeeshops and hawker centres. Malls may designate spaces for mall employees to consume their meals, but all the guidelines in paragraph 4.b. must be adhered to.

2Refer to the advisory at the GoBusiness portal for the SMMs on Marriage Solemnisations and Wedding Receptions.

3Non customer-facing events include conferences, seminars, corporate retreats, etc, while customer-facing events include product launches, F&B establishment openings, marketing/branding events etc. Social and recreational gatherings (e.g. farewell lunch, team bonding activity) at the workplace are disallowed.

4Refer to MOM’s Requirements for Safe Management Measures at the Workplace.

5Except for advisory videos related to safe management measures. Static images and a carousel of static images on a digital screen (e.g. of menus and promotional items) without sound are not considered to be TV/video screenings.

6The list of gaming instruments is as stated in the Common Gaming House (Instruments and Appliances for Gaming) Rules.

7If there is an employee assisting with playing the recorded music, there must be no live interaction with customers or the use of microphones and turntables for the mixing of music. He/she should, for instance, not be positioned on an elevated platform or in a dedicated booth for the purpose of performance, or which could resemble a performance.

8These play areas refer to the facilities provided free-of-charge in the establishments.

9The SEGW enables contactless detection of both the TraceTogether App and Token, and serves as an additional means of SafeEntry check-in that is quicker and more seamless. It also allows users to check if their Token has run out of battery or is not working.

10Refer to go.gov.sg/gateway-overview for how to implement the SEGW and apply for a free SEGW Box.

11F&B establishments are allowed to place condiments and cutleries at their stall counters, as long as these are within sight of and managed directly by the employees.

12Refers to the F&B establishments’ back-of-house operations involving employees, including at offices, warehouses and manufacturing facilities.

13This will not apply to industries/companies that need to do so due to the nature of their work. Such companies will be required to demonstrate that cross-deployment of interaction between employees is critical for business operations, when requested by MOM or their sector agencies.

14E.g. systems are in place to ensure no direct contact between the cross-deployed personnel.

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