Updated Advisory for Safe Management Measures at Retail Establishments and Lifestyle-Related Services

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

Effective Date:
27 September 2021

This has been superseded by the latest advisory.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

1. Singapore entered the Stabilisation Phase on 27 September 2021 to slow down the rate of transmission and protect our healthcare system. The Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) announced a tightening of Safe Management Measures (SMMs) from 27 September through 24 October 2021, to slow down current community transmissions. With effect from 13 October 2021, vaccination-differentiated Safe Management Measures (VDS) will also be further expanded to include entry into malls and large standalone stores.

2. Retail establishments and lifestyle-related services must implement SMMs, as required by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and comply with the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020. They must also 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.

Latest updates for Retail establishments

3. From 27 September through 24 October 2021, social gatherings are allowed to comprise up to 2 persons². In line with this, retail establishments are to ensure at least one-metre spacing between groups of customers (of up to 2 persons). Malls should also ensure that crowds do not gather at atriums or common spaces, and discourage the consumption of food and drinks at such spaces.

4. Vaccination-differentiated SMMs (VDS)

   1. Malls and large standalone stores³

      1. From 13 October 2021, malls and large standalone stores are required to implement VDS for entry into their premises. Under this, only groups of up to 2 fully vaccinated persons will be allowed to enter malls and large standalone stores . Refer to paragraph 4.c. on the eligibility criteria.

      2. VDS will not apply to the following unvaccinated individuals at malls and large standalone stores:

         • Those visiting licensed medical services, including doctors, dentists and registered Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners. This includes caregivers who need to drop off young children or the elderly for such medical attention. Proof of appointment is required for entry (e.g. in the form of a letter, email or SMS); and

         • Caregivers dropping off and picking up young children at preschools/childcare centres only. A letter of support from the preschool/childcare centre is required.

      3. There will be a grace period of one week for VDS in malls and large standalone stores to be implemented, from 13 to 19 October 2021. The required checks must be imposed during this grace period, but unvaccinated persons can be permitted entry into these premises with a reminder. The grace period will allow mall/store operators, tenants and the public to familiarise themselves with the new processes and checks.

   2. Personal care services

      1. Services and activities in higher-risk settings, which require masks to be removed, can continue to be conducted in groups of up to 2 persons if customers are fully vaccinated. These include personal care services such as facial treatments, make-up services and saunas, where masks are removed during the activity/service. Refer to paragraph 4.c. on the eligibility criteria.

   3. The above establishments that implement VDS must only allow entry for customers who meet any of the following criteria (unless there are exceptions provided):

      • Be fully vaccinated, i.re. has received the appropriate regimen of World Health Organisation Emergency Use Listing vaccines (e.g. Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty, Moderna, AstraZeneca-SKBio, Serum Institute of India, Janssen, Sinopharm, Sinovac-CoronaVac) including their respective duration post-vaccination for the vaccine to be fully effective and had their vaccination records ingested in MOH’s national IT systems⁶); or

      • Have recovered from COVID-19, i.e. less than 270 days of first positive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test result obtained in Singapore, and can provide a valid Pre-Event Test (PET) exemption notice for the duration of the service/activity⁷ from an MOH-approved COVID-19 test provider; or

      • Have a valid negative PET result for the duration of the service/activity⁸ from an MOH-approved COVID-19 test provider in the past 24 hours.

   4. Children aged 12 years and below who are not vaccinated are eligible for VDS and may be included in the group of up to 2 persons. If a group comprises 2 such children, both children must be from the same household.

   5. The above establishments that implement VDS must appoint at least one worker (e.g. supervisor or front-of-house worker) to conduct verification checks on the eligibility status of each individual.

      1. Refer to MOH’s information sheet for more details of the requirements for VDS.

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

      3. The establishment must verify that each customer fulfils the eligibility requirements before SafeEntry check-in and allowing the group to enter for the service/activity. For the full list of acceptable documents regarding eligibility checks, please refer to https://go.gov.sg/acceptabledocs.

   6. Unvaccinated workers⁹ can continue to access their workplace in malls and standalone stores as all unvaccinated individuals working in these premises are currently required to undergo testing twice a week as part of the “Vaccinate or Regular Test” regime (VoRT) since 1 October 2021, pending a further review of this policy. See paragraph 5.b.
      
      COVID-19 Testing

5. The following applies to the workers of the establishments mentioned below:

   1. By 27 September 2021, all individuals¹⁰ working in malls, large standalone stores and supermarket outlets, as well as those in personal care services (e.g. facial and nail services, spas/saunas, massage establishments, hairdressing, and make-up services), must undergo testing once every 7 days using tests such as the antigen rapid test (ART) regardless of their vaccination status, under the regular Fast and Easy Test Rostered Routine Testing (FET RRT) regime. Businesses who occupy the retail space are responsible to ensure all workers comply with this regime. This is to allow for earlier detection and ringfencing of cases and can be done primarily through Employer Supervised Self-Swabs (ESSS).

      1. Individuals who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection in the past 270 days are exempted.

      2. Establishments can refer to the following GoBusiness portal link or ESG’s website for more details.

   2. From 1 October 2021, all unvaccinated individuals working in settings with mandatory FET RRT including third-party contracted workers (as per earlier paragraph) have to undergo testing twice a week¹¹ using ART to mitigate risk of transmission to the public, under the VoRT regime. The tests can similarly be done through ESSS.

      1. The cost of additional testing required for unvaccinated workers are to be fully borne by workers or the enterprises.

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

      3. Enterprises should refer to the details on VoRT regime on the GoBusiness portal.

      4. All other vaccinated workers must continue with the prevailing FET RRT regime (testing once every 7 days).

   3. The table below provides an overview of FET RRT and VoRT. More details are available at https://enterprisesg.gov.sg/sector-testing.

Occupancy/Capacity limits

6. The following limits apply:

   1. Occupancy limit for malls and large standalone stores¹² will be at one person per 10 sqm of Gross Floor Area (GFA). 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 at least one-metre distancing between individual customers or groups of customers who are shopping together (up to 2 persons) is maintained.

   2. The operating capacity of Commercial Family Entertainment Centres will be at a maximum of one person per 10 sqm of usable space or 50% operating capacity, whichever is lower¹³.

Protocol on handling COVID-19 cases

7. Establishments can reference the following:

   1. For management of potential contacts of positive COVID-19 cases at the workplace, refer to https://www.mom.gov.sg/covid-19/requirements-for-safe-management-measures.

   2. For protocol on disinfection for premises visited by positive COVID-19 cases, refer to https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/public-cleanliness/environmental-cleaning-guidelines/guidelines/guidelines-for-environmental-cleaning-and-disinfection.

   3. Refer to https://www.gobusiness.gov.sg/covid-faqs/ for other information

Work-related events

8. Work-related events (both non customer-facing and customer-facing) can be held within the workplace premises and third-party venues. Such events are not permitted at public and common areas such as mall atriums, public transport nodes, HDB estates and common corridors. Prevailing guidelines for the respective event venues will apply (i.e. if the event is held in at the establishment, all measures outlined in the Retail advisory will apply for the event).

   1. Non customer-facing events (e.g. promotion/human resource event for workers):

      • Meals should not be the main feature. Enterprises should also avoid holding events over mealtimes as far as possible. Food or drinks should only be served if incidental to the work-related event (e.g. the meeting or conference extends over lunchtime). In addition, the food must be served in individual portions¹⁴, and participants must be seated while consuming the food and drinks. Participants should minimise the time that they are unmasked while eating and drinking.

      • Should meals be provided as part of the event and it involves any participant who is not a worker of, or who does not regularly deliver goods or services to the enterprise organising the event, then every participant must meet the criteria in paragraph 4.c.¹⁵.

      • Such events are subject to a cap of 50 persons or a lower number, depending on venue capacity and safe distancing requirements.

      • Should establishments hold such events using their own premises, at least one-metre spacing between individuals must be maintained at all times.

      • For events organised by external parties (where the retail/lifestyle premises now function as a third-party venue), groups of up to 2 persons with at least one-metre spacing between groups are permitted.

   2. Customer-facing events (e.g. product launches, outlet opening):

      • Meals should not be the main feature. Event organisers should also avoid holding events over mealtimes as far as possible. Food or drinks should only be served if incidental to the work-related event (e.g. the meeting or product launch extends over lunchtime). In addition, the food must be served in individual portions¹⁶, participants must be seated while consuming the food and drinks, and there should be no intermingling between the groups. Participants should minimise the time that they are unmasked while eating and drinking.

      • Should meals be provided as part of the event and it involves any participant who is not a worker of, or who does not regularly deliver goods or services to the enterprise organising the event, then every participant must meet the criteria in paragraph 4.c.¹⁷

      • Such events organised by retail establishments within their own retail premises are subject to the maximum number of individuals that the venue may accommodate after safe distancing measures are adhered to.

      • Events organised by retail establishments at third-party venues are subject to a cap of 50 persons (excluding service staff) or a lower number, depending on venue capacity and safe distancing requirements.

      • Events organised by external parties at retail establishments (where the premises now functions 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.

      • Event participants can be in groups of up to 2 persons, at least one metre apart.

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

9. The following measures apply to all customer-facing operations of retail establishments and lifestyle-related services.
   
   

   1. Safe distancing

      1. Retail establishments are to ensure at least one-metre spacing between groups of up to 2 persons. Members of the same household entering the retail establishment may do so but this should also be in groups of 2 persons.

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

      3. Workers must manage queues to ensure that safe distancing is observed at all times.

   2. Crowd management

      1. Activities and events at public and common areas such as mall atriums, public transport nodes, HDB estates and common corridors are not allowed¹⁸.

      2. Malls should also ensure that crowds do not gather at atriums and common spaces, and discourage the consumption of food and drinks at such spaces.

      3. Operators of common play areas for children/toddlers/infants in retail stores or malls¹⁹ must ensure at least one-metre spacing between groups of customers.

   3. Contact tracing

      1. The following retail establishments are required to deploy SafeEntry²⁰ via TT-only SE to log the check-in of customers, vendors and visitors to their premises²¹:

         • Malls;

         • Large retail stores > 930 sqm or 10,000 sqft²²;

         • Supermarkets;

         • Personal care services e.g. hairdressers, barbers, spas, beauty and wellness; and

         • Facilities providing basic pet services (that do not function on a drop-off, pick-up basis).

      2. Retail establishments required to deploy SafeEntry for customers and visitors need to provide the SafeEntry Gateway²³ (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 VDS.

      3. 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 Boxes²⁴.

      4. Refer to www.safeentry.gov.sg for more details on SafeEntry Check-in.

   4. Cleanliness and hygiene

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

      2. Hand sanitisers should be made available to workers and customers at common touchpoints (e.g. entry/exit doors, cashiers).

      3. Product testers and samples for self application and immediate consumption, e.g. perfume testers, make-up testers and unsealed food samples, are not allowed. Workers must also not apply the product sample directly on customers.

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

         • Common spaces such as counters and display shelves, where customers are served, as well as play areas for children/toddlers/infants;

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

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

   5. Ventilation and improving indoor air quality

      1. Retail establishments and lifestyle-related services 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)²⁵.

10. Retail establishments should put up clear signages to remind customers to comply with safe management requirements where applicable, and train and deploy service personnel to provide clear communication to customers on SMMs.

11. Refer to Annex A [PDF, 46KB] for other recommended guidelines, and Annex B [PDF, 210KB] on guidance for specific trades.

Safe Management Measures – Workplace Premises²⁶

12. 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.

13. Enterprises must ensure no cross-deployment across worksites²⁷, i.e. no worker 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 infection²⁸.

    2. For venues that have been visited by positive COVID-19 cases and asked to close by the Ministry of Health (MOH), workers should not be redeployed to other worksites at all for the period of closure. If instructed to go for swabs, enterprises must ensure that their workers 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 workers 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

14. Government agencies will be conducting inspections to check on the proper implementation of the SMMs. 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. For subsequent offences, they may face a fine of up to S$20,000, imprisonment of up to twelve months, or both.

15. Businesses that do not implement or comply with the government’s SMMs may be ineligible for government grants, loans, tax rebates and other assistance, and may also be subject to temporary closures.
    
    Annex A [PDF, 46KB]:Other recommended guidelines for customer-facing operations
    Annex B [PDF, 210KB]: Trade-specific Safe Management Measures for Retail Establishments and Lifestyle-Related Services

Thank You.

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

Updated as of 12 October 2021

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

²Members from the same household may choose to go out together, but they need to observe the prevailing group size limits in public settings and venues, i.e. if there are more than 2 persons, please maintain at least one-metre distancing in groups of no more than 2 persons.

³These refer to standalone stores > 930 sqm (or 10,000 sqft) of GFA.

⁴Refer to footnote 2.

⁵Tenants within the malls do not need to conduct VDS checks if they operate outside the mall hours.

⁶Please refer to MOH’s Post Vaccination Matters website for more information.

⁷Recovered 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.

⁸Unvaccinated 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 VDS.

⁹These include tenants, office workers of that building, as well as workers who have to visit these premises, such as vendors, part-time workers, third-party contracted workers, food delivery personnel and couriers.

¹⁰This refers to all mall management workers as well as all tenants and vendors who work in the malls, large standalone stores and supermarkets, including those working in office spaces of the shops, business owners, store managers, all part-time and full-time workers, third-party contracted workers based in malls and all other workers who work at the premises, e.g. cleaners, promoters.

¹¹A test done under the existing FET RRT, which is a supervised FET, also counts towards this requirement.

¹²These refer to standalone stores > 930 sqm (or 10,000 sqft) of GFA.

¹³Facilities below 50 sqm can admit up to 5 persons. This does not include workers.

¹⁴Food served through staff-served food lines must also be served in individual portions.

¹⁵Children aged 12 years and below may be included in the group. If there is more than one such child in the group, all children must be from the same household. For work-related events subject to the requirement for attendees to be fully vaccinated, the number of such children is capped at 20% of the actual event size.

¹⁶Food served through staff-served food lines must also be served in individual portions.

¹⁷Children aged 12 years and below may be included in the group. If there is more than one such child in the group, all children must be from the same household. For work-related events subject to the requirement for attendees to be fully vaccinated, the number of such children is capped at 20% of the actual event size.

¹⁸Such 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.

¹⁹These play areas refer to the facilities provided free-of-charge in the shops or at the malls’ common areas.

²⁰More information on SafeEntry and a full list of places where SafeEntry must be deployed can be found at https://covid.gobusiness.gov.sg/safemanagement/safeentry/

²¹However, all retail establishments and lifestyle-related services must require their workers to do SafeEntry check-in via TT-only SE.

²²Large retail outlets that are fully within malls and buildings covered by SafeEntry and have the same operating hours, are not required to implement SafeEntry for customers, clients and visitors. They should, however, do so if they operate outside the mall hours.

²³The 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.

²⁴Refer to go.gov.sg/gateway-overview for latest details on when the free SEGW Check-out Boxes are available.

²⁵This Guidance Note provides building owners and facilities managers with updated recommended measures to enhance ventilation and air quality in indoor spaces.  

²⁶Refers to the retail establishments’ back-of-house operations involving workers, including at offices, warehouses and manufacturing facilities.

²⁷This 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 workers is critical for business operations, when requested by MOM or their sector agencies.

²⁸E.g. systems are in place to ensure no direct contact between the cross-deployed personnel.

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