Here is some good news to rejoice in as we approach the festive season. Starting Monday, November 22, dining out and social gatherings are allowed in groups of five again – even if they are not from the same households. This also applies to the number of visitors a household can receive.
Individuals must be fully vaccinated – those who are unvaccinated are not allowed to dine in but can continue to only take away food. Children aged 12 and below who are not vaccinated can still be included in groups of five people dining, as long as they are all from the same household.
However, the new dining-in rules will take effect at hawker centres and coffee shops from Tuesday if these establishments have the bandwidth to check patrons' vaccination statuses. If there no such systems are in place, group sizes will remain capped at two.
The announcement marks the end of the Stabilisation Phase on November 21 and the country returns to the Transition Phase. While this news (and the return of music to restaurants and bars) is a cause of celebration, task force co-chair Gan Kim Yong warns, "Please don't rush to celebrate and have multiple gatherings in a day. If you need to go to big gatherings or big events, please take a test to make sure that you are not the one that is imposing risks on other people."
Baby steps – but about time.
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