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Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)
Circulars

Updated Advisory for Safe Management Measures at Food & Beverage Establishments

24 August 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:
10 August 2021

This has been superseded by the latest advisory.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

Circulars

 page.


  1. The Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) has announced a calibrated path for resumption of more economic and social activities under Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) from 10 August 2021. Current Safe Management Measures (SMMs) will be adjusted as we transit to the endemic state.

  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 allowed to continue food service operations, with the exception of establishments with Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs, Discos and Karaoke SFA license categories or SSIC codes starting with 5613. F&B establishments that are allowed to operate must comply with the following:

    Vaccinated-differentiated SMMs

    1. From 10 August 2021, F&B establishments are permitted to seat dine-in groups of up to 5 persons.

      1. Vaccination-differentiated SMMs apply only if all the customers meet any of the following criteria:

        • Fully vaccinated (an individual is considered fully vaccinated two weeks1 after he or she has received the full regimen of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna vaccines currently administered under the National Vaccination Programme, or after completing the full regimen of vaccines on the World Health Organisation’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) including the appropriate duration post-vaccination for the vaccine to be fully effective2); or

        • Recovered from COVID-19 and can provide a valid Pre-Event Test (PET) exemption notice for the duration of his/her dine-in3 from an MOH-approved COVID-19 test provider; or

        • Have a valid negative PET result for the duration of his/her dine-in4 from an MOH-approved COVID-19 test provider within the last 24 hours.

      2. Dine-in is not allowed if any individual within a group of up to 5 persons does not meet eligibility criteria in 4.a.i.

      3. Children aged 12 years and below who do not meet the eligibility criteria may be included in the group of up to 5 persons. If there is more than one such child in the group, all children must be from the same household.

      4. Currently, only Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents and Long-Term Pass Holders with vaccination records in Singapore’s National Immunisation Registry are eligible for dine-in at F&B establishments with vaccination-differentiated SMMs. All other incoming travellers would have to obtain a negative PET by an MOH-approved test provider that will be valid for 24 hours, to be eligible for vaccination-differentiated SMMs.

        • From 21 August 2021, newly arrived Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents, Long-Term Pass Holders (LTPH) and Short-Term Visit Pass Holders (STVPs) would be eligible for vaccination-differentiated SMMs, if they produce a valid tamper proof, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) issued vaccination sticker on their passport5 or a valid PET with a negative result (refer to 4.a.i.). These stickers would be valid until the end of their STVP validity or until 30 September 2021, 2359hrs, whichever is earlier.

        • By September, the IT systems will be enhanced such that travellers, upon verification of their eligible vaccination status at entry, will also be recognised by SafeEntry (Business) App through their TraceTogether apps/ Tokens to be eligible for vaccination-differentiated SMMs without needing to go through PET.

    2. F&B establishments may choose to introduce vaccination-differentiated SMMs depending on their operating model, clientele, and ability to check the status of individuals who dine-in. Otherwise, F&B establishments will only be allowed to operate take-away services.

      1. The use of the SafeEntry (Business) App is strongly encouraged to facilitate dine-in eligibility checks for both TraceTogether App and Token users. The SafeEntry Gateway Box cannot be used to facilitate these checks.

      2. Refer to Annex A [PDF, 1.0MB] for the requirements for vaccination-differentiated SMMs.

    3. As hawker centres and coffeeshops6 are open-air and naturally ventilated spaces, a special concession would be given to allow vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals to dine in these settings, but subject to group sizes of up to 2 persons only. For avoidance of doubt, food courts7 are allowed to open for dine-in only for fully vaccinated/recovered/tested customers (see para 4.a.), and may continue to operate take-away services for all customers. However, only eligible customers are allowed to dine-in at food courts.

      COVID-19 Testing

    4. From 15 July 2021, all individuals working at F&B establishments providing dine-in services must undergo testing once every 14 days using tests such as the antigen rapid test (ART) regardless of their vaccination status, under the regular Fast and Easy Testing (FET) regime. This can be done through employer-led supervised self-swabs8.

      1. This includes both part-time and full-time employees, as well as third-party contracted staff (e.g. cleaners) who work at the establishments. Business owners and store managers who work at these establishments must also undergo FET. Individuals who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection in the past 270 days are exempted from the FET requirement.

      2. Establishments can refer to the following GoBusiness portal link for more details.

    5. From 1 October 2021, all unvaccinated individuals working at F&B establishments9 have to undergo testing twice a week using ART to mitigate risk of transmission to the public, under the “Vaccinate or Regular Test” (VoRT) regime. This can similarly be done through employer-led supervised self-swabs.

      1. The costs of testing required for unvaccinated employees are to be fully borne by users or their employers.

      2. The government will subsidise tests for the small group of individuals who are medically ineligible for vaccines.

      3. All other vaccinated employees must continue with the prevailing FET regime (testing once every 14 days).

      4. Employers may wish to refer to MOM's Advisory on COVID-19 vaccination in employment settings.

  2. All F&B establishments are also to note the following measures:

    1. From 19 August 2021, given the high levels of vaccine coverage and increased surveillance measures such as FET, all F&B establishments no longer need to conduct temperature screening or checks on visible symptoms for all customers, visitors and employees.

    2. Sale and consumption of alcohol in all F&B establishments are prohibited after 2230hrs daily10. This includes consumption at any outdoor refreshment area and/or tables/chairs11 owned or managed by such establishment. As a best practice, by around 2200hrs, F&B operators should cease the sale of alcohol as a dine-in service and remind customers to consume their alcohol by 2230hrs.

    3. Entertainment at F&B establishments (e.g. live entertainment, recorded music, and videos/TV screening) remain prohibited.

    4. F&B establishments may serve as venues for marriage events and/or work-related events by third parties and are required to comply with the SMMs for these events12.

      Protocol on handling COVID-19 cases

    5. They should proactively manage potential contacts of COVID-19 cases at the workplace. Refer to https://www.gobusiness.gov.sg/covid-faqs/ for more details.

    6. Observe the protocol on disinfection for premises visited by positive COVID-19 cases. Refer to https://www.gobusiness.gov.sg/covid-faqs/ for more details.

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 individual customers at areas such as entrances and cashier counters (e.g. through floor markers). One-metre spacing must also be maintained between queues and seated customers (e.g. remove seats that are too close to the queue if required).

      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 for food delivery orders 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. Table and seating management

      1. For F&B establishments that introduce vaccination-differentiated SMMs, group sizes must be limited to up to 5 persons.

      2. F&B establishments must ensure that a safe distance of at least one metre is maintained between groups of up to 5 customers to mitigate the risk of transmission. This refers to the distance between the edges of every group or person. In addition, F&B establishments must ensure that the furniture is arranged in such a way to facilitate safe distancing between groups – for example, the distance measured between the backs of chairs used by customers in different groups, or the legs of chairs if there is no back, must also be at least one metre apart13. Refer to https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/covid-19/safe-distance for the infographic on SMMs.

      3. F&B establishments should not accept reservations or walk-ins, or allow in their premises social gatherings with more than 5 persons, even if they are split across multiple tables. Exceptions can only be made if all members of the group are from the same household, i.e. have the same place of residence (families living in different places of residence are not from the same household). However, they will need to be seated at multiple tables, with no more than 5 persons per table, and with at least one-metre spacing maintained between these groups. F&B establishments are required to verify customers’ claims that they are from the same household, and can reject entry of customers at their discretion. There must be no mixing or intermingling between groups.

      4. Where tables/seats are fixed, tables/seats should be marked out to accommodate groups of no more than 5 persons, while ensuring at least one-metre spacing between groups.

      5. Self-service buffet lines are not allowed14. Food lines where diners can queue and be served by F&B employees are allowed with the necessary measures in place (see paragraph 6.f.).

    3. Crowd management

      1. Radio broadcasts, all forms of television, film and video screenings15 and the provision or allowance of other forms of public entertainment activities such as live music, dancing, variety acts 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)16 in the F&B premises are not permitted. F&B operators should also make clear to customers, for instance, that singing songs, including birthday songs, is not permitted.

      2. F&B establishments are also not allowed to play any form of recorded music or sounds, including background music. Emphatic toasting with food or drinks is disallowed, by both employees and customers. Operators should also ensure that their employees refrain from conduct that could encourage customers to make emphatic toasts.

      3. Operators of common play areas for children/toddlers/infants in F&B establishments17 must ensure at least one-metre spacing between groups of customers.

    4. Contact tracing

      1. F&B establishments must implement SafeEntry via TraceTogether-only SafeEntry (TT-only SE) for customers and visitors, with the exception of those that only provide takeaway and/or delivery, with no dine-in services18.

      2. All delivery personnel picking up food orders at F&B establishments with dine-in services must also do TT-only SE.

      3. F&B establishments required to deploy SafeEntry for customers and visitors need to provide the SafeEntry Gateway19 (SEGW) as an additional option for SafeEntry check-in. SEGW is available as a feature within the SafeEntry (Business) App (updated to the latest version) and as a physical standalone device (SEGW Box). Do note that the SEGW Box cannot be used to facilitate the eligibility checks for the vaccination-differentiated SMMs.

      4. To facilitate more precise contact tracing efforts, SafeEntry check-out is also encouraged. Businesses can facilitate check-out for their customers by toggling to the SEGW check-out function within the SafeEntry (Business) App. Businesses with a higher throughput of visitors and places where people are likely to be in close proximity for prolonged periods with masks off will also be eligible for SEGW Check-out Boxes20.

      5. Refer to Annex C [PDF, 14KB]: for more details on SafeEntry Check-in.

    5. Cleanliness and hygiene

      1. F&B establishments must ensure that all employees, delivery personnel and other onsite personnel wear their masks properly at all times. Employees who eat or drink onsite must wear their masks immediately after doing so. Establishments should also ensure that on-site customers wear their masks before food is served and immediately after their meals, as well as when customers move around the establishment.

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

      3. Communal amenities for self-service (e.g. drink dispensers and condiment stations) must not be used21.

      4. Self-service food samples are not allowed.

      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.

    6. Food lines served by employees22

      1. F&B establishments must cover food at the food lines with shields or other forms of barriers to minimise exposure and mitigate food contamination risk.

      2. Employees must pick the food for customers, and ensure that customers do not have contact with the food line.

      3. Employees must not handle food with bare hands. They must use a clean fork, tongs, scoop or other suitable utensil23.

      4. Employees must ensure that individuals queuing for food have their masks on at all times and maintain a safe distance of one-metre between individuals.

      5. These would be on top of the existing additional SMMs that are mandated at work-related events and MICE events. For instance, each food line must not be used to serve participants from different zones at the same time. Separate food lines must be set up for each zone, where practicable. Please refer to the Safe Business Events Framework for details.

    7. Ventilation and improving indoor air quality

      1. F&B establishments are strongly encouraged to improve ventilation and improve indoor air quality in all premises. They may wish to refer to the Guidance Note on improving ventilation and indoor air quality in buildings issued by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), National Environment Agency (NEA) and Ministry of Health (MOH)24 .

  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 D [PDF, 68KB] for other recommended guidelines.

Safe Management Measures – Workplace Premises25/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 worksites26, 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 infection27.

    2. For venues that have been visited by positive COVID-19 cases and asked to close by 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 stepping up enforcement on F&B establishments and will take firm action against any breaches, including failure to maintain the one-metre safe distancing between groups and to prevent intermingling of groups, allowing group sizes above permissible limits, serving and allowing the consumption of alcohol after 2230hrs, and providing entertainment and games.

  2. Under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, 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.

  3. Businesses that do not implement or comply with the government’s requirements on SMMs may also be ineligible for government grants, loans, tax rebates and other assistance, and may also be subject to temporary closures.

    Annex A [PDF, 1.0MB]: Details of vaccination-differentiated SMMs
    Annex B [PDF, 61KB]: SMMs for work-related events
    Annex C [PDF, 14KB]: Details of SafeEntry check-in
    Annex D [PDF, 68KB]: 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 20 August 2021


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1For avoidance of doubt, D1 is the day of second dose of the vaccination and D15 refers to when the vaccine is effective.

2In addition to Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna, WHO EUL vaccines include Sinovac-CoronaVac, Sinopharm, and AstraZeneca. Individuals who are vaccinated with WHO-EUL vaccines will be considered as fully vaccinated and therefore eligible for vaccination-differentiated SMMs only if their vaccination records have been captured in MOH’s national IT systems. Please refer to MOH’s Post Vaccination Matters website for more information.

3Recovered individuals can obtain a PET Exemption Notice from any clinic offering ART or PCR testing services. Refer to go.gov.sg/swabproviders for the list of MOH-approved COVID-19 test providers.

4Unvaccinated individuals aged 13 or above must have a valid negative ART or PCR result from an MOH-approved COVID-19 test provider within the last 24 hours. Refer to go.gov.sg/swabproviders for the list of MOH-approved COVID-19 test providers. Self-administered ART supervised by employer and self-administered ART results are not recognised for vaccination-differentiated SMMs.

5Eligible travellers are those who (i) were fully vaccinated overseas with a WHO-EUL vaccine, and (ii) who can provide a valid, English-language vaccination certificate. Travellers should have their vaccination certificates when seeking assistance from ICA at checkpoints upon arrival.

6Coffee shops refer generally to F&B establishments with SFA coffee shop/eating house/canteen license.

7Food courts refer generally to F&B establishments with SFA food court license.

8SFA has sent out notices to relevant F&B licensees required to conduct FET for their employees.

9F&B establishments subject to the VoRT regime include those that i) provide dine-in services, or ii) are located in malls.

10This includes consumption by all individuals (such as customers, staff and vendors) within the F&B establishment.

11The furniture should be kept/secured after close of business in such manner to prevent use.

12Refer to Annex B [PDF, 65 KB] for the SMMs on work-related events. Refer to the requirements at the GoBusiness portal for the SMMs on Marriage Solemnisations and Wedding Receptions.

13F&B establishments may use the bar counters to seat and serve meals to dine-in customers, but must ensure there is at least one-metre spacing between groups of customers.

14This also applies to catering companies, where they are not allowed to provide self-service buffet lines. Catering companies should also reference SMMs for MICE, Marriage Solemnisations and Wedding Receptions and work-related events where applicable.

15Except 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.

16The list of gaming instruments is as stated in the Common Gaming House (Instruments and Appliances for Gaming) Rules.

17These play areas refer to the facilities provided free-of-charge in the establishments.

18All F&B establishments must require their employees and vendors to do SafeEntry check-in via TT-only SE.

19The 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.

20Refer to go.gov.sg/gateway-overview for latest details on when the free SEGW Check-out Boxes are available.

21F&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.

22Food lines are not permitted at weddings and funerals. For wedding receptions, F&B must continue to be served to seated customers. For funerals, F&B should not be consumed, with the exception of individually packed drinks and titbits, and individual bento boxes for family members of the deceased who keep vigil for the duration of the funeral wake. There should strictly be no sharing of drinks/ titbits at funerals.

23If the use of suitable utensils is not feasible, staff must wear clean gloves to handle the food. Appropriate hand hygiene practices must be observed; for more information on hand hygiene in food handling, please refer to https://www.sfa.gov.sg/food-information/risk-at-a-glance/hand-hygiene-in-food-handling.

24This Guidance Note provides building owners and facilities managers with updated recommended measures to enhance ventilation and air quality in indoor spaces. Refer to BCA’s website for the note.

25Refers to the F&B establishments’ back-of-house operations involving employees, including at offices, warehouses and manufacturing facilities.

26This 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 or interaction between employees is critical for business operations, when requested by MOM or their sector agencies.

27E.g. systems are in place to ensure no direct contact between the cross-deployed personnel.

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