As the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases have dipped to around two dozen or so for the past week, the government has further relaxed measures meant to curb the spread of the virus.
For one, work-related events within the workplace premises that are business-oriented, such as conferences, seminars, corporate retreats, annual general meetings and extraordinary general meetings, will be allowed to resume with effect from Sept 28.
However, a cap of not more than 50 people has to be maintained for these events and safe-distancing measures are to be applied, announced the Multi-Ministry Task Force on Sept 23.
The government will allow resumption of work-related events at external venues at a later date.
For now, large scale social gatherings within or outside the workplace, such as parties, celebrations, team bonding activities, dinner-and-dance (D&D), and gala dinners will still be banned.
While working from home remains the default, companies are given the go-ahead to allow more of their employees to return to their offices. However, the proportion has to be kept at half, at any point in time.
The government is also urging companies to allow staggered work hours so that public transport will not be as crowded. Split team arrangements are to be maintained too.
“This update has been carefully considered to balance the concerns of employers regarding the impact of extended periods of working-from-home on productivity and workplace relations, while creating safe workplaces for employees. This will also support employees who face particular difficulty working-from-home,” said the ministry.
“As these measures will need to be in place for some time, we encourage employers to ensure that work-from-home arrangements are implemented in a sustainable manner to enable employees to maintain work-life balance while continuing to meet business needs,” the ministry added.
In what might a sliver of good news for the aviation and hospital industry, the government will allow, under a pilot scheme, essential business travel for senior executives with extensive regional or international responsibilities.
Singapore is base to thousands of multinational corporations.
Under this pilot scheme, the government will give out a limited number of ‘passes’ to these regional managers. While they have to stick to a strictly controlled itinerary, they won’t be required to serve a quarantine. Instead, they can choose to undergo a Covid-19 test and self-isolate while waiting for the results.
