Dine-in to resume from 19 June 2020 at cooked food sections of hawker centres
Singapore, 16 June 2020 – With the Multi-Ministry Taskforce’s announcement that Phase 2 will start after 18 June 2020, 2359 hours, dine-in will resume at all cooked food sections of 114 hawker centres managed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and NEA-appointed operators from 19 June 2020.
Safe management measures at cooked food sections in Phase 2
2 Before the Circuit Breaker period, the cooked food sections of hawker centres had alternate seats marked out. Patrons were only allowed to sit on unmarked seats to ensure safe distancing between individuals to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. During Phase 2, small-group social gatherings of up to five persons are now allowed. Dine-in at food and beverage outlets, including our hawker centres, will also be allowed, subject to the safe distancing principles for Phase 2.
3 To align with Phase 2 guidelines, two key changes will be made to the seating arrangements at the cooked food sections of our hawker centres. First, as hawker centres are our community dining rooms and to cater for different dining groups, NEA, our appointed operators and the Town Councils will be marking out seats/tables for dining groups of different sizes, of between one to five persons. Patrons should continue to sit only at unmarked seats/tables when dining in at our hawker centres.
4 Second, as a safe distance of one metre should still be maintained between dining groups, certain tables may be closed and/or additional seats marked to facilitate safe distancing between dining groups. As compared to the pre-Circuit Breaker period, overall seating capacity at our hawker centres will generally be higher under Phase 2, even with some seats/tables marked out. Similar to the current practice, individuals should still maintain safe distancing of at least one metre at all times when queueing to make cooked food purchases or while waiting for their orders.
Safe management measures at markets in Phase 2
5 There is no change to the current safe management measures at markets in Phase 2. Patrons’ access to four popular markets, namely Geylang Serai Market, Block 104/105 Yishun Ring Road (Chong Pang Market), Block 20/21 Marsiling Lane, and Block 505 Jurong West Street 52, will continue to be restricted based on the last digit of their National Registration Identification Card or Foreign Identification Number. Patrons to all 83 markets managed by NEA and NEA-appointed operators should also continue to stand within the boxes marked on the floor, to minimise crowding and maintain safe distancing when making their purchases at the market stalls.
Stepped-up cleaning to continue in hawker centres and markets
6 As dine-in resumes in Phase 2, all hawker centres and markets will continue to ensure high standards of cleanliness and hygiene. Before the Circuit Breaker period, NEA and the Town Councils had worked closely with the Hawkers’ Associations and cleaning contractors of our hawker centres to step up cleaning and upkeep good public hygiene. Some of the enhanced measures include increasing the cleaning frequency of toilets and frequently touched areas, such as table tops, seats, lifts and hand rails, as well as having cleaners wear gloves when clearing tables and used crockeries/utensils. In the toilets, there should also be adequate supply of toilet paper and soap. These enhanced measures will continue when dine-in resumes in Phase 2.
Provision of automated hand sanitiser dispensers and good social habits practice
7 To help ensure personal hygiene, NEA will be installing automated hand sanitiser dispensers at all 114 hawker centres and markets – the number at each centre will depend on the centre’s size and layout. The dispensers will be installed near the entrances/exits and lift lobbies of each centre. Where possible, some dispensers may be placed near to tray return racks, so that patrons can sanitise their hands after returning their trays, should there be a queue at the hand wash basin. Please refer to Annex for an infographic summarising key measures during Phase 2.
8 To keep our hawker centres clean and hygienic, patrons also have a big part to play. We would like to remind patrons to keep the hawker centre tables clean for the next diner by returning their trays and/or used crockery/cutlery. In particular, used tissues and wipes can be contaminated with bodily fluids (e.g. from a cough or sneeze) and harbour viruses or bacteria, thus posing a risk of disease transmission to cleaners and other diners. Diners should exercise social responsibility and dispose of their used tissues/wipes in a proper manner, either by binning them or bringing them together with their trays and used crockery/cutlery to designated tray return points.
Mask-wearing and SafeEntry
9 All patrons are reminded to continue donning their masks in our hawker centres, other than when they are eating or drinking. Patrons should also check in and out on every visit to the markets and hawker centres using SafeEntry QR codes which have been put up at the centres.
10 Safe Distancing Enforcement Officers and Ambassadors will continue to be deployed at hawker centres and markets to ensure compliance with safe management measures. We urge members of the public to be socially responsible. Those who are unwell or are sick should refrain from going to the markets and hawker centres. The NEA will not hesitate to enforce against individuals committing egregious acts which put themselves and others at risk.
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Annex
Safe Management Measures at Hawker Centres and Markets in Phase 2
