All nightlife businesses allowed to fully reopen from Apr 19 as Singapore eases COVID-19 rules
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SINGAPORE: All nightlife businesses, including nightclubs and discotheques, will be allowed to fully reopen from Apr 19.
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This is in line with Singapore's recent easing of COVID-19 measures, said the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in a joint media release on Monday (Apr 4).Â
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All nightlife establishments will be subjected to the safe management measures imposed on food and beverage (F&B) outlets, retail liquor establishments and live performances where applicable, said the authorities.
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For nightlife businesses where dancing among patrons is one of the intended activities - such as nightclubs and discotheques - patrons have to produce a negative Antigen Rapid Test (ART) before entering the premises. The ART has to be supervised by a test provider approved by the Ministry of Health, either in-person or remotely.
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The COVID-19 test will be valid for 24 hours from the time of the test result.Â
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"The patron must get tested before the start of his/her visit; and at most 24 hours before the end of the attendance at the event or activity," said MTI and MHA.
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 Nightlife businesses will be required to observe the following rules:
- Group sizes of up to 10 fully vaccinated people, with full vaccination-differentiated safe management measure checks implemented at entrances
- Mandatory mask-wearing indoors
- Safe distancing of at least 1m between individuals or groups when masks are off
- Capacity limits of 75 per cent for large settings/events with more than 1,000 people, with no 1m safe distancing when masks are on. No capacity limits for smaller settings/events with fewer than 1,000 people
- Supervised ART tests for patrons as long as the place offers dancing among patrons as an intended activity
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Enforcement agencies will continue to monitor if these safe management measures are kept to, said the authorities.
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"In the event of breaches, enforcement actions will be taken under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020, and the business will be liable for the issuance of Notice of Composition (NOC) and closure order," they added.
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Cheng, I. (2022, April 4). All nightlife businesses allowed to fully reopen from Apr 19 as Singapore eases COVID-19 rules. CNA. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-nightlife-businesses-fully-reopen-april-19-mti-mha-2606391