From 7 April until 4 May 2020 (inclusive), heightened safe-distancing measures will be implemented to pre-empt escalating infections of COVID-19. Significantly reducing movements and interactions in public and private places can function as a circuit breaker, and allow us to bring the infection numbers down. If so, this will in turn allow for some of these measures to be relaxed later on.
Only essential services that support daily needs will remain open, with safe-distancing measures in place. Other non-essential services and retail outlets, such as recreation venues, sports and recreation facilities, will be closed.
What do I need to do?
- Stay at home. Only go out if necessary, such as to buy daily necessities or for urgent medical needs
- Do not hold social gatherings during this period
- Limit social contact to immediate family members
- If you need to exercise outdoors in a park, keep a safe distance from others
Food-related services will remain open
Food items will continue to be available, as all food and beverage outlets, such as restaurants, hawker centres, coffeeshops, food courts will remain open for takeaway or delivery only. Supermarkets, convenience stores, grocery retailers and wholesale
and wet markets will remain open too.
Essential services will be open
Healthcare, social services, banking and financial services will continue to be open.
Public transport and transport services like private-hire cars and taxis will continue to operate. Other services that are required for daily living such as hairdressing and optician services etc will be open too.
Schools to move to Home-Based Learning
From 8 April to 4 May, schools and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) will move to full Home-Based Learning. Preschool
and student care centres will suspend services. More details here.
Most workplaces to be closed
Workplaces, except for those in essential services and key economic sectors, will be closed. Employers that are able to continue
to operate their businesses with their employees working from home should continue to do so. More details here.
No
one measure is sufficient to protect all Singaporeans - it will require the collective effort of every Singaporean to take safe-distancing and good personal hygiene seriously.
| Sector | Essential Services | |
| Health and Social Services | • Acute hospitals (including offsite specialist clinics and offsite Ambulatory Surgical Centres), community hospitals • Primary care services (i.e. polyclinics and private sector primary care services), non-elective and urgent/emergency dental services, renal dialysis centres, TCM clinics (for consultation & drug dispensary services only). | |
• Community care services • This includes nursing homes, psychiatric rehabilitation homes, psychiatric sheltered home, inpatient palliative care • Home medical services, home nursing, home palliative care, meals on wheels • For seniors with inadequate family support and intensive custodial care needs: Home personal care and designated senior care centres/psychiatric day centres | ||
• Community mental health services, senior befriending, counselling and case management services, and alert alarm system/check-ins by Senior Activity Centres are to be delivered remotely • Services to be delivered remotely where possible. For certain blocks where remote monitoring is not possible, staff to continue manning the Alert Alarm System at the Senior Activity Centres. | ||
| • Essential supporting services (including blood services, laboratories and radiological services, research related to COVID-19, pharmacies, disease surveillance and response services, medical and patient transport, provision of medical items, personal care items, and TCM medical halls | ||
| • Essential supply chains (including medical wholesale and distribution, mask, personal protective equipment (PPE), medical supplies and equipment manufacturers, medical gas supply) | ||
| • Selected social services to support vulnerable segments of the population | ||
| • Selected care services for students such as those at preschools, student care centres and SPED schools (including for children of Essential Services workers) | ||
| Food | • Food supply (including food and food ingredient production, food manufacturing, food processing, abattoirs/ slaughterhouses, importers and traders, food logistics, cold stores, warehouses), supermarkets, convenience stores, grocery retailers, wholesale markets, wet markets • F&B outlets (including hawker centres, coffee-shops, food courts, restaurants, fast food; for takeaway and delivery orders only) and their supporting operations (including central kitchens) • Food caterers • Food delivery services • Food packaging and printing service providers • Laboratory food safety testing and supporting services • Activities relating to extension of shelf-life (e.g. retort manufacturing) or manufacturing of ready-to-eat meals | |
| Energy | • Electricity generation, transmission, and distribution services, and their Original Manufacturing Equipment (OEM) contractors/suppliers and equipment/spare parts/repair/maintenance providers • Gas companies involved in the supply, transmission, and distribution of natural gas and town gas, and their OEM contractors/suppliers and equipment/spare parts/repair/maintenance providers • Services relating to the refining, supply, distribution and storage of essential fuel products, and their contractors • Services for the production of town gas and their contractors • Bus transport operators for electricity/gas (natural and town gas) facilities • Services for the bottling and distribution of cylinder gas • Petrol kiosks | |
| Water, Waste, Environment | • Potable Water, NEWater and Industrial Water supply, collection and treatment of used water, management of storm water • Supply of chemicals, equipment, material, spare parts and services to PUB for the above • Supply of labour for operation and maintenance of process and systems for PUB • Waste Collection & Disposal services (e.g. waste collection, disposal facilities) • Funeral-Related Services (e.g. funeral directors/undertakers, crematoria, columbarium, funeral parlours) • Environmental Hygiene Monitoring & Public Cleansing Services (e.g. cleaning, disinfection, environmental research on COVID-19) • Markets and cooked food centre Management (e.g. cleaning and maintenance) • Vector Control Services (e.g. Pest control, fumigation, research on vector control) • Pollution Control & Monitoring Services (e.g. Toxic & Biohazardous waste management) • Meteorological Services • Radiation Monitoring & Control Services (e.g. maintenance of healthcare related irradiation equipment X-ray, CT scans) | |
| Transportation and Storage | • Air traffic control, airport operations, air transport services, runway enhancement and maintenance • Shipping, shipping-related services, safety and navigation services, port and terminal operations, port marine service, shipping-related services • Provision of public transport services, including key supporting services and suppliers • Monitoring and management of traffic and road operations • Provision of point-to-point transport services (including Taxis, Private Buses, Private Hire Cars), and key supporting services and suppliers • 3rd party logistics providers, freight forwarders, trucking, air express integrators • Transportation that is necessary to support other Essential Services • All warehouses and storage services | |
| Information and Communications | • Telecommunications (Fixed, Mobile and Internet Access), data centres, broadcasting services (radio and television) • Submarine cable operations • Postal services, security printing services, publication of newspapers • ICT support tools, software and services for enterprises and individuals (to enable telecommuting, videoconferencing, e-commerce, finance, and enterprise networks/systems, IT services) • Cybersecurity in support of other Essential Services and digital economy • Platforms and services such as ride hailing, food delivery, groceries, and online payments • Social media and messaging platforms | |
| Defence and Security | • Defence and Security firms, supporting firms and establishments protecting buildings and homes • Development and research projects that support essential services or national security | |
| Construction, Facilities Management and Critical Public Infrastructure | • Companies involved in epidemic control (e.g. sanitation, disinfection, cleaning, laundry) • Selected development projects assessed to be in critical stages of construction and are unable to stop due to potential safety risks • Construction work in progress for (i) critical public infrastructure, (ii) maintenance and services to ensure public safety, and (iii) emergency repairs & maintenance • Provision of housekeeping/FM services for certain high risk workplaces to ensure health and safety (e.g. construction sites - risk of collapse of temporary structure, maintenance of tower cranes, risks of dengue etc.) • Provision of lift and escalator (L&E) maintenance services, and facilities management (FM) services for buildings and infrastructure (e.g. plumbing, electrical works, conservancy services) • Landscaping for public safety (e.g. tree pruning a.k.a. arboriculture services; shrub pruning, grass cutting a.k.a. horticulture services) • Animal-related services for public safety (e.g. veterinary services – need to maintain surveillance of health of companion animals; managing wildlife like monkeys, snakes, boars) | |
| Manufacturing & Distribution | • Manufacturers of essential products (e.g. chemicals and petrochemicals, healthcare supplies, medical equipment, food and food ingredients, or materials needed for other Essential Services) and their suppliers/contractors • Semiconductor, Pharmaceutical, and Biomedical Science companies and their critical suppliers • Marine & Offshore Engineering companies involved in ship/vessel repair, and maintenance and overhaul services; and their contractors • Aerospace maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) companies and their suppliers • Manufacturing of printing, packaging and pallets to support Food Services, Food Manufacturing and any other Essential Products and Services herein-mentioned • Distributors of essential products, including food-related items, packaging materials (both food and non-food), household items, personal care products | |
| Banking and Finance | • Services relating to maintenance of monetary and financial stability • Currency issuance, services relating to cash management and payments for the Government • Banking services (e.g. cash withdrawal & deposits, lending and related processing, treasury management, payments and funds transfers) • Insurance services (e.g. claims servicing, policy renewal and servicing, policy inception, insurance broking, financial advisory) • Currencies, securities and derivatives trading, clearing, settlement, reporting, and depository and trust, and corporate finance advisory services • Asset management services (e.g. portfolio management and trading, trade settlement and operations, trustee services, processing of subscriptions and redemptions in fund units, financial advisory) • Payment services (e.g. fund transfers, credit card and debit card payments) | |
| Others | • Selected hotels, serviced apartments, dormitories, hostels | |
| • Hairdressing & barber services | ||
| • Optician services and sale of optical products | ||
| • Plumbers, electricians, & locksmiths | ||
| • Vehicle recovery and repair services | ||
| • Hardware stores | ||
| • Repair of consumer electronics, and household appliances | ||
| • Laundry services for Essential Services | ||
| • Veterinary services | ||
| • Selected Continuing Education & Training (CET) for critical skills training | ||
| • Pet supplies stores (for provision of animal feed, no grooming or leisure activities allowed) | ||
| • All other critical services contracted by the Government for the provision of supporting Government functions or for the above-mentioned Essential Services | ||
