Frequently Asked Questions

First-time offenders face a composition fine of $300. Second-time offenders will face a $1,000 composition fine, or prosecution in court for egregious cases.

You can identify the EOs and Ambassadors by their respective agencies’ corporate attire, staff pass and/or lanyard. EOs and Ambassadors also carry Safe Distancing EO and Ambassador passes respectively, and EOs may additionally wear a red armband. These identifiers will help the public to better identify EOs and Ambassadors, and facilitate the work of the officers in enforcing safe distancing measures.

You should also be vigilant and wary of persons who impersonate EOs to perpetuate crimes. You may request for an officer’s identification to verify his identity, before complying with his instructions.

Anyone found to have impersonated an EO will be subject to police investigation. Under the Penal Code, the offence of cheating by personation carries an imprisonment term that may extend to five years, or a fine, or both. The offence of personating a public servant carries an imprisonment term that may extend to two years, or a fine, or both. 

Like police officers, EOs are empowered to take enforcement action against the public for breaches of safe management measures. Ambassadors guide businesses and individuals to comply with safe management measures. 

Enforcement Officers (EOs) can take enforcement action against the public for breaches of safe management measures. Anyone found to breach safe management measures, including failure or refusal to comply with directions of an EO, will be asked to produce his or her personal particulars. As such, you should always carry around proof of identity (such as your NRIC) when performing essential activities.

Offenders will be issued notices either on site, or through the mail. You should never hand over cash to persons who claim to be EOs as no immediate payment will be required.

When faced with egregious offenders, the Police will be called in for assistance. NEA takes a serious view of those who verbally or physically abuse our officers and SG Clean Ambassadors and will not hesitate to take strong action against such egregious offenders, including criminal prosecution if necessary. Cases of physical or verbal abuse will be reported to the Police for follow-up, and these cases will be considered separately from the principal offence that NEA will be charging the offender for.

NEA’s EOs do not collect fines or demand payment of fines on the spot. Offenders will be issued notices either on site, or through the mail. Members of the public are cautioned against handing over cash to persons who claim to be EOs.

No. SG Clean Ambassadors will advise the public to comply with safe distancing measures but are not empowered to take enforcement action. Appointed Enforcement Officers (EOs) are the only ones who can take enforcement action against the public for breaches of safe distancing measures. However, all SG Clean Ambassadors will be paired with EOs during their patrols, who will conduct enforcement when necessary.

There will no longer be any safe distancing measures or capacity limit for designated smoking areas (DSAs) as announced by MOH on 22 Apr 2022.  NEA will continue with enforcement at smoking prohibited places, including the Orchard Road No Smoking Zone

VDS continues to be in effect in food and beverage establishments including all hawker centres managed by NEA and NEA-appointed operators. Only fully vaccinated persons may dine in at our hawker centres and markets. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated persons can take away food from hawker centres.

Vaccination status checks at entrances will no longer be required but enforcement officers will continue to carry out selective checks during their rounds to ensure that the dine-in patrons are vaccinated. 

You should also observe the following when visiting hawker centres:

• Wear your mask covering the nose and mouth fully at all times, except when eating and drinking. Put your mask back on immediately after you finish.
• Do not visit hawker centres if you are feeling unwell.
• Return your trays with used crockery after eating, and keep the table clean for the next diner.
• Bin used tissues and wet wipes.
• Do not spit out and leave bones or food remnants on the table or tray. 

Diners should also return your trays and used crockery, and not leave behind used tissues, wet wipes and food remnants. This will help keep the table clean for the next patron. Cleaners can then focus on wiping and sanitising tables, as well as clearing the tray racks, sorting and distributing trays and used crockery back to the stalls.

 

Safe Distancing Enforcement Officers (EOs) and Ambassadors are deployed at hawker centres and markets, to ensure that patrons dining in all hawker centres managed by NEA and NEA-appointed operators, are fully vaccinated by carrying out selective checks during their rounds.

We seek the public’s support to work with the EOs who are tasked with ensuring that VDS are complied with for everyone’s safety. While most members of the public are cooperative, there is a small proportion of offenders who are uncooperative and sometimes abusive. The authorities take a serious view of those who verbally or physically abuse public officers, and will press charges in court where warranted.

We strive to continue to ensure high standards of cleanliness and hygiene at all hawker centres and markets. Stallholders are reminded to not handle food if they are unwell, and to ensure that food preparation areas, utensils, cooking equipment and premises, are kept clean and pest-free.

Cleaning contractors have been advised to clean frequently touched areas, such as table tops, seats, toilets, lifts, refuse bins and hand rails, more often. Cleaning tools and equipment, including cleaning cloths, must be cleaned and sanitised regularly, and replaced with new ones when needed. In the toilets, there must be adequate supply of soap for patrons to wash their hands with.

Automated hand sanitiser dispensers have been installed at suitable locations such as near the entrances and exits, lift lobbies and/or tray return racks, at the 113 hawker centres and markets managed by NEA and NEA-appointed operators.

NEA is also working closely with Hawkers’ Associations and Town Councils to keep our premises safe, and regularly undertake cleaning of premises.

At non-enclosed outdoor locations (such as Choa Chu Kang Cemetery, Garden of Peace @ CCK, government-managed columbaria), mask-wearing is optional but attendees are encouraged to continue to wear their masks especially in crowded outdoor areas. Please keep yourself and others around you safe by observing good hygiene habits, such as binning your litter and keeping our shared spaces clean.

If you feel unwell or are sick, please stay at home, see a doctor, and avoid visiting the cemetery or columbaria. Do not prolong your stay at our facilities and avoid bringing vulnerable groups such as elderly family members or young children to our facilities.

1. Masks are to be worn at all times at funeral events held in an indoor setting. If a tentage is set up and the outdoor area becomes enclosed, it will be considered as an indoor setting.
2. For funeral events held outdoors, in non-enclosed places (such as burial service at cemetery, funeral wakes at void decks of public housing estates), mask-wearing is optional but attendees are encouraged to continue to wear their masks especially in crowded outdoor areas. There will no longer be a group size limit. Individuals are not required to keep to a group of 10 persons.
3.  The event size limit for funeral events, including funeral wakes held within home compounds and cremation services at Mandai Crematorium, are lifted.
4. NEA will cease to issue entry passes for cremation services at Mandai Crematorium.
5. Religious workers, funeral staff and persons involved in the conduct of live instrumental music should be kept to a minimum.
6. Food and drinks, including self-service buffet lines and individually packed food and titbits, are allowed to be served and consumed at funeral events, with the exception at government-managed facilities such as Mandai Crematorium and Choa Chu Kang Cemetery. Singapore Food Agency's (SFA) regulations and Food & Beverage (F&B) sector guidelines must be adhered to.
7. Live performances, including instrumental music, such as live singing and playing of wind instruments (instruments which require intentional expulsion of air such as trumpets, conch shell) are allowed at funeral events.. Religious workers involved in the conduct of the religious rites (such as preaching, chanting of prayers) and family members giving eulogies can unmask.Attendees must have their masks on in an indoor setting. Any person who is unwell must be turned away.
8. SafeEntry check-in will no longer be required. 
9. Discourage vulnerable persons, such as the elderly, from attending these events to protect their health, and consider alternative solutions for them, such as live video screening instead.
10. Individuals are urged to continue to exercise personal responsibility and conduct self-testing, and practise good personal hygiene, especially prior to visiting crowded places or interacting with vulnerable groups.
11. Funeral staff are strongly advised to administer self-testing regime using the Antigen Rapid Test (ART) kits available for purchase over retail counters. Family members may also consider performing self-testing if they are worried that they may have COVID-19 and want to put their mind at ease. For more information on ART self-test kits, please visit https://www.moh.gov.sg/docs/librariesprovider5/art---self-test/simple-guide-to-art-self-test-kits-(jul-21---web-version).pdf?sfvrsn=3642cdc6_0.
    

There is no limit on the number of attendees for installation of niches at government-managed columbaria (Choa Chu Kang and Mandai) and inland ash scattering at Garden of Peace @ CCK. Mask-wearing is optional at government-managed columbaria and Garden of Peace @ CCK but attendees are encouraged to continue to wear their masks especially in crowded outdoor areas.

Yes. MOH has assessed that funeral wakes can be held for those who passed away from COVID-19 infection.

Although measures have been put in place to ensure safe handling of the deceased infected with COVID-19, and physical contact with their bodies is not permissible, the duration of funeral wakes should be kept within three days. This is to minimise any potential risk of transmission between visitors during the funeral wake.

You may also consult your appointed funeral directors for options other than a three-day funeral wake, such as conducting prayers just before the cremation at the service hall at Mandai Crematorium.

Healthcare workers and funeral service providers would prepare the bodies of the infectious COVID-19 deceased for cremation or burial. The bodies of the deceased will be enclosed in at least one leak-proof bag before being placed in a hermetically sealed coffin.

Collection, casketing and transport of the bodies for cremation or burial are limited to funeral services providers, whose staff have undergone the Basic Infection Control Course (BICC) conducted by the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). Staff of the funeral services providers also have to be suitably protected when carrying out their work. These funeral service providers have also received a circular on the management of deceased persons suspected of or were confirmed as COVID-19 patients from the Ministry of Health (MOH) forwarded by the National Environment Agency (NEA). 

Deceased person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection is permitted for cremation or burial service.

You may refer to a list of BICC-trained FSP at https://www.ncid.sg/For-General-Public/Pages/List-of-Funeral-Service-Companies-Trained-in-Basic-Infection-Control-Course-(BICC).aspx. Healthcare workers and/or medical practitioners should inform household members of the deceased on how to access and use this list early, to facilitate handling of the deceased at the time of demise.

Embalming should not be performed if:

a) The deceased is deemed to be infectious; OR
b) The deceased is deemed to be non-infectious, BUT the date of demise is within 28 days of first positive COVID-19 PCR or ART.

If the deceased had more than one episode of COVID-19 infection, the “first” COVID-19 PCR and/or ART result would be that of the current or latest infection episode. The dating of such PCR and/or ART results from demise, will therefore be in the context of the current or latest COVID-19 infection episode.

The deceased may otherwise be managed according to the standard measures (that is deceased can be washed, embalmed and dressed, body bag not required).

Next-of-kin are strongly advised to cremate the bodies of the deceased before transporting the ashes back to their home countries. No special permit is required for the repatriation of cremated ashes.

To repatriate the body of a foreign deceased back to their home country, the next-of-kin may either seek the assistance of a funeral director or their Embassy to make the necessary arrangements. Approval from both their home country and NEA’s Port Health Office is required for import to their home country and export from Singapore, respectively. Besides the relevant documents required by NEA for the export, the next-of-kin have to ensure that the body of the deceased is double-bagged, sealed in a leak-proof coffin, and preserved for transportation.

Together with the relevant authorities, NEA will provide assistance on repatriation arrangements to the next-of-kin.