Enterprise Singapore
29 Jan 2020
Updated 09 Jan 2021
The Government has announced Phase Three will start from 28 December 2020.
We will continue to work closely together with businesses to identify the new economic opportunities our businesses can target, given the structural shifts from COVID-19.
We advise all businesses to refer to the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) websites for the latest updates.
Approach for Phase Three
Social gatherings will be allowed to comprise up to eight persons. Households may also receive up to eight visitors at any point in time. To reduce the likelihood of spread, we advise all to continue limiting social circles to a small group of regular contacts.
TraceTogether-only SafeEntry, where the TraceTogether App or Token is required for SafeEntry check-ins, will be implemented early 2021, after everyone who wants a Token has had a chance to collect one at a Community Club or Centre in their constituency. Until TraceTogether-only SafeEntry has been implemented, visitors can still perform SafeEntry check-in via the TraceTogether App, SingPass Mobile, or QR reader apps, or use their identity cards with barcodes such as NRIC, Pioneer or Merdeka Generation cards, and so on.
The following Safe Distancing principles continue to apply in Phase Three:
- As a default, measures should be put in place to ensure that individuals maintain Safe Distancing of at least one metre at all times;
- Where not feasible or practical to apply one metre Safe Distancing between individuals, this one metre requirement can instead be enforced between groups, with each group made up of not more than eight persons, and with no mixing between groups. Other relevant Safe Management Measures should also be in place.
Business Activities in Phase Three
To provide a safe environment for customers and workers, all businesses must continue to implement Safe Management Measures as required by the MOM and comply with the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations.
Larger public venues with high human traffic, such as malls and large standalone retail outlets, will continue to be subject to capacity limits, and operators will be required to prevent crowds or long queues from building up within and in the immediate vicinity of their premises.
In Phase Three, some businesses may not be allowed to resume physical operations. To check if your business is allowed to operate, please refer to covid.gobusiness.gov.sg/permittedlist.
In settings run by permitted businesses, such as for F&B dining-in or classes where individuals come together for activities, each group must be limited to eight or fewer persons, with at least one-metre spacing between groups. All activities remain subject to overall Safe Management Measures.
Telecommuting must remain the default for all businesses where feasible. Employees should only come into the office when demonstrably needed. Employers should work out clear salary and leave arrangements with employees who cannot work from home or at their workplace premises, based on the principle of shared responsibility. Such arrangements should take into consideration the Government support for wages and any subsidies for training.
Mandatory Safe Management Measures
All businesses must put in place Safe Management Measures before resuming workplace activities, in order to provide a safe working environment and prevent transmission at the workplace. These measures include:
- Implementing a system of Safe Management Measures at workplaces;
- Reducing physical interaction and ensuring Safe Distancing at workplaces;
- Supporting contact tracing requirements;
- Requiring employees to wear personal protective equipment where needed, and observe good personal hygiene;
- Ensuring cleanliness of workplace premises;
- Implementing health checks and protocols to manage potential cases.
All businesses must comply with the general requirements for Safe Management Measures, and any sector-specific requirements which apply to them. Strict checks will be conducted, and businesses that do not provide a safe workplace for workers will have their operations suspended until they are able to do.
We have also released Safe Management Measures, which include Safe Distancing Measures, for the following sectors. If your business is among the following, please refer to the respective links for the relevant guidelines:
Those who wish to report breaches or poor practices can do so via SnapSAFE – an app that allows the reporting of workplace safety and health issues to MOM.
Business Continuity Plans
All workplaces should update their business continuity plans (BCP), and stay prepared for trend of increasing community transmission. As the situation is evolving rapidly around the world, we encourage all companies to have their BCP in place.
We, supported by the Singapore Business Federation, have also enhanced the Business Continuity Guide for Enterprises to support you in developing your plans to deal with COVID-19.
Travel Advisory
Please review work-related travel plans and defer all travel abroad, with the exception of short-term essential business and official travel between selected counterpart countries/regions and Singapore under the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL). More details on the RGL can be found here.
You may also find more details on relevant travel advisories/restrictions on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) website.
All travellers arriving in Singapore, including residents (Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents) and Long-Term Pass holders (Student’s Pass, Dependent’s Pass, Work Pass and Long-Term Visit Pass Holders) must ensure they fulfil the relevant requirements by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). More details on this can be found here.
All travellers departing Singapore are advised to check the MFA website for the latest travel advisories to other countries/regions, and check with the immigration authority or embassy of the destination country/region on the relevant health requirements imposed on travellers from Singapore. More details on this can be found here.
Precautionary Measures for General Employees
Please remind all employees who are unwell, even with mild flu-like symptoms, should see a doctor immediately. They should not go out into the public for any other purpose, and should not come into close contact with others.
If you employ foreign workers who live in foreign worker dormitories, please ensure the relevant Safe Management Measures are adhered to. You may refer to this list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) by the MOM for more information.
Should you become aware that someone at your workplace is a confirmed or suspect case of COVID-19, you are advised to adopt these measures set out by MOM.
You should also carry out a thorough cleaning and disinfecting of that section of the workplace premises exposed to confirmed case(s). Please refer to the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) guidelines for more details. You may apply for the Specialised Cleaning Programme to defray part of the cleaning and disinfection costs.
Regulations under the Infectious Disease Act
The MOH will be promulgating Regulations under the Infectious Diseases Act to give legal force to the Safe Distancing Measures, as well as to provide enhanced penalties for breaches of the SHN. The penalty for an offence under the Regulations, including any SHN breach, would be a fine of less than $10,000 or imprisonment of less than six months or both. In addition, existing levers under the Infectious Diseases Act, including the temporary suspension of operations, may be used against persons and operators found to be non-compliant with the Regulations.
Support for Businesses
The Government has introduced various support measures across different Budgets in response to COVID-19 to help companies and workers weather near-term uncertainties. The relevant measures are outlined as follows:
ESG, together with other Government agencies, has launched new initiatives and enhanced existing programmes to provide more support more businesses. For more information, please click here.
The Ministry of Law has introduced the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 to offer relief to businesses and individuals who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, please click here.
As businesses seek to adjust to the changing operating environment, we strongly encourage employers to take a long-term view of their manpower needs. When managing excess manpower, retrenchment should always be the last resort, after other options have been considered and found to be unworkable.
If you have 10 or more employees and have implemented any cost-saving measures that affects your employees’ monthly salaries (including bonuses and increments) during this period, you are required to notify MOM through this online form – within 1 week after implementation. This temporary requirement is in place to encourage responsible implementation of such measures, prevent downstream salary disputes, and allow MOM to monitor the scope and scale of such measures. For more details, please refer to the MOM website.
The Government will continue to work together with tripartite partners to restructure our economy, build new enterprise capabilities, and upskill our workers for the future.
You can also find the downloadable version of the advisory here.
This advisory is based on information updated as of 8 January 2021.