REACH 295 - What are your views on the eased restrictions as Singapore returns to the transition phase of living with COVID-19 on Monday (Nov 22), in particular the increase in dining, gathering group size and daily household visitors to 5? (SK)

20 Nov 2021 (10am - 7pm)

REACH

[3:00 pm, 20/11/2021] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

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Megan 😊

[3:03 pm, 20/11/2021] +REACH: 📢 Topic 📢 

From Monday (Nov 22), fully-vaccinated people will be able to dine at restaurants and other food and beverage outlets in groups of up to five, even if they are not from the same household. With the easing of restrictions, people will also be able to gather in groups of up to five and receive five visitors per day, up from two now. The relaxed dining-in rules will take effect at hawker centres and coffeeshops from Tuesday (Nov 23), as long as these establishments are able to check patrons' vaccination status. If no such systems are in place, group sizes will remain capped at two.

💬 What are your views on the eased restrictions as Singapore returns to the transition phase of living with COVID-19 on Monday (Nov 22), in particular the increase in dining, gathering group size and daily household visitors to 5? 

Singapore is in a better position to ease measures now, given that the overall Covid-19 situation has remained stable and the weekly infection growth rate has stayed at one or lower, Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong said at a press conference on Saturday.

The proportion of severe cases has also been stable, added Mr Gan, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force handling the pandemic. The current tightened measures were due to lapse on Monday. But he urged unvaccinated people to stay at home as much as possible, to protect themselves against the virus. People visiting households with unvaccinated people are also encouraged to test themselves prior to the visit.

"I know some prefer to open up more quickly, but we must do so in a very careful and step-by-step manner," Mr Gan said, reiterating that the task forcewill observe outcomes from the current easing before relaxing measures further. "This way, we hope to avoid any disruptive U-turns."

Other rules to be relaxed from Monday include those imposed on weddings and solemnisations, while vaccination-differentiated measures will be expanded to hospitals and nursing homes.

The announcements include:

👉🏼 Up to 5 fully vaccinated people can dine out from Nov 22; social gathering size also raised to 5 for all: https://str.sg/3NcJ

👉🏼 Entry to libraries, participation in some community centre activities restricted to fully-vaccinated people from Dec 1: https://str.sg/3Ncp

👉🏼 People can get Covid-19 booster shots 5 months after their second dose from Wednesday: https://str.sg/3Nc3

👉🏼 Covid-19 vaccines for children five to 11 should be available from January: Kenneth Mak: https://str.sg/3Ncc

👉🏼 Vaccinated people allowed to visit hospitals, residential care homes from Monday: https://str.sg/3NcS

👉🏼 Singapore 'optimistic' that land VTL with Malaysia can launch end Nov, details expected next week: https://str.sg/3Nci

👉🏼 Support measures to be lessened gradually as S'pore eases Covid-19 curbs, $90m package for firms and individuals: https://str.sg/3Ncw

📌 https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/dining-in-and-social-gathering-capacity-increased-to-5-what-you-need-to-know-about-covid

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[3:10 pm, 20/11/2021] +Caleb: All can go back to work?

[3:13 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Coffee shops and hawker centre can accommodate 5 dine in for vaccinated.

2 for unvaccinated.

But how to check vaccination status at coffeeshops?

Now family of more than 2 got to split tables. Not convenient.

[3:14 pm, 20/11/2021] +Rama: How about wedding Dinner pax !?

[3:18 pm, 20/11/2021] +JC: Please open up public outdoor sports facilities and remove all administrative restrictions on number of pax at each facility ASAP. We are having a surge in obesity and renewed emphasis should now be placed to encourage resumption of normal sports activities as much as possible.

[3:25 pm, 20/11/2021] +Anthony: Hi, I can understand business owner needs more crowd to patronize their Foods & Beverage ,

However Coffeeshop & Hawker Centre stall owner not keen to chat all the customer Vaccination Status it will be a Grey Area

Plus, our Naughty Not Kiasi Old Uncle Wil be talking loud & having Alcohol in their mouth

Beer Lady Promoter or Hostess Wil surrounding all this Old Uncle to consume more alcohol drinks

Are our Government or MOH like to see this become a super spreader events

Especially all the vendors in Coffeeshop hardly care on the Consumer their behavior in Coffeeshop

Shouting & Laughing without Mask Up Wil be back again in our Noisy Coffeeshop once again

🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[3:36 pm, 20/11/2021] +BL: Great!  Good to see progress. Still don't understand why I can go to the cinema but I can't watch my kid play football during training and why they are limited to 2.

[3:37 pm, 20/11/2021] +BL: Yes please.

[3:39 pm, 20/11/2021] +Anthony: Hi ,I like to highlight Another thing,

Why Hospital or Nursing Home or Home facilities

Always had Cluster one by another can be 100 or 200+

After more then a year I observed of this

Are our MOH keen to redevelopment redesign new facilities like Hospital or Nursing Home

Into more single beds with minority chances getting bigger cluster

I hope MOH Wil have a look on this issue

A.B.C ward in future new Hospital should be scrapped off

Instead of having  A.B.C ward , the ward should be comfortable one 

All walks of life can recovery in a safe environment by design single room having toliet 

Cluster Wil less hardly to emerge

MOH should stop Classification on A.B.C. Ward

More design on service or quality for food

Rather on ABC ward

As well less Cluster

.the most important thing for future outbreaks

[3:50 pm, 20/11/2021] +BL: Yes interesting point. A B C feels like banding our elderly and sick into different status which is not 'One Singapore'

[4:20 pm, 20/11/2021] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

We want to HEAR MORE from you!

We have had good feedback from this group, and we hope that we can keep the discussion robust and active! 

Megan 😊

[4:23 pm, 20/11/2021] +JC: I would encourage MOH to consider removing WFH as the default for most companies. Given the extremely high vaccination rate of the working population, there is no reason why WFH should remain the norm.

[4:23 pm, 20/11/2021] +JC: Long-term WFH arrangements will encourage companies to consider further off-shoring of work to lower costs countries

[4:23 pm, 20/11/2021] +BL: At least make it easier to go into the office

[4:24 pm, 20/11/2021] +JC: and also negatively impact those who don't have ideal WFH environments. There is also the undocumented impact on retail/F&B sector, especially in the CBD area.

[4:25 pm, 20/11/2021] +BL: Be good for mental health to be with people, and good for companies to bring back some team spirit.

[4:25 pm, 20/11/2021] +JC: Businesses need all the business they can get, esp if the govt is going to taper off support

[4:54 pm, 20/11/2021] +BL: Does playing football count as a social gathering? 😁

[5:42 pm, 20/11/2021] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

We want to HEAR MORE from you on today's topic!

We have had good feedback and hope that we can keep the discussion robust and active! 

Megan 😊

[5:52 pm, 20/11/2021] +XianceAfcai: How abt 20 players in the basketball courts with mask? Break smm?

[6:09 pm, 20/11/2021] +Vana: For me, I’ll still think WFH shld remain as norm as gov prob shld slowly open up at one go instead of opening up at a fast speed and resulted in a turn in situation

[6:10 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/we-are-the-last-resort-german-doctors-frustrated-amid-covid-19-pandemic-surge

We are the last resort': German doctors frustrated amid Covid-19 pandemic surge.

Germany seeking hospitals beds from other EU countries after its hospitals overwhelm.

[6:10 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/europe-the-only-region-with-rising-covid-19-deaths-says-who

Europe the only region with rising Covid-19 deaths: WHO.

[6:11 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/germany-recommends-covid-19-booster-shots-all-adult-population-2322716

Germany recommends COVID-19 booster shots for all adult population.

[6:11 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: https://news.google.com/articles/CBMiYGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS93b3JsZC8yMDIxL25vdi8xOS9hdXN0cmlhLXBsYW5zLWNvbXB1bHNvcnktY292aWQtdmFjY2luYXRpb24tZm9yLWFsbNIBYGh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS93b3JsZC8yMDIxL25vdi8xOS9hdXN0cmlhLXBsYW5zLWNvbXB1bHNvcnktY292aWQtdmFjY2luYXRpb24tZm9yLWFsbA?hl=en-SG&gl=SG&ceid=SG%3Aen

Austria plans compulsory Covid vaccination for all.

[6:13 pm, 20/11/2021] +Caleb: +1

[6:15 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Daily death number still so high.

Wonder how come those anti-viral pill or monoclonal antibodies treatment not effective to stop the death.

[6:22 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fauci-boosters-hospital-breakthrough-cases_n_61959c0ce4b025be1ad65b7d

Fauci Warns Of Uptick In Hospitalizations Among Fully Vaccinated, Touts Boosters.

Unvaccinated and wane immunity that need booster - trigger the uptick in hospitalisation.

[6:22 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEFVRJCXlRLicXiLa0_VLkJsqFwgEKg8IACoHCAowjuuKAzCWrzww9oAY?hl=en-SG&gl=SG&ceid=SG%3Aen

F.D.A. Plans to Authorize Pfizer Boosters for All Adults This Week.

[6:23 pm, 20/11/2021] +N: Personally I'm not too concerned about 2 or 5 pax dining rules. There would/should still be distance between diners. I am more concerned about the crowded public transport and would appreciate if there are some ways to control number of pax in train cabins or buses to avoid shoulder-to-shoulder packed situations.

[6:23 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Our booster shot percentage coverage need to reach and exceed 50% for total population before we are consider safe.

[6:26 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Currently our booster shot is only 22%.

15% unvaccinated (including children and some adults and 61,000 seniors).

[6:26 pm, 20/11/2021] +N: Also because dining at food outlets is a choice, if you are not comfortable, you have options. But public transport for work isn't a choice for many, unless wfh is default or permitted

[6:47 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: 

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/south-korea-reports-record-new-covid-19-cases-as-serious-infections-cause-worry

Even with 78.5% vaccination, without booster, Skorea living with covid see a spike in infection and hospitalisation number.

[6:47 pm, 20/11/2021] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

⏰ We will be closing the chat in 15 minutes ⏰

Thank you very much for being part of our WhatsApp chat and participating actively.

Goodnight!

Megan

[6:48 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Skorea living with covid - see a spike in infection.

Without booster, a free for all reopening is a recipe for trouble.

[6:49 pm, 20/11/2021] +RH: 

Pls look into pricing if ART kits. 

At $4 each,  it is still not ideal. 

Esp if we nd to practise SMM. 

Self test a must b4 we go bk to office,  or b4 we visit hm tt hv UnVax ppl ... and so on.

[6:49 pm, 20/11/2021] +RH: * of

[6:50 pm, 20/11/2021] +RH: Agree. 

Ppl tend to forget so easily. Tt we are still not out of the woods yet.

[6:50 pm, 20/11/2021] +RH: Public tpt needs to be looked into as part of SMM.

[6:52 pm, 20/11/2021] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Our reopening must be based on calibrated step by step opening - and not a sudden opening thinking we are out of the wood.

We must be guided by -

- the booster percentage

- the vast reduction in the unvaccinated

- the vast reduction in hospitalisation number, ICU and death.

[6:52 pm, 20/11/2021] +Rama: 👍👌🤟👏

[6:53 pm, 20/11/2021] +RH: Hear!  Hear!

[6:53 pm, 20/11/2021] +RH: Plus make ART test kits cheaper,  pls!

[6:53 pm, 20/11/2021] +Rama: Yeah

[6:59 pm, 20/11/2021] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

We will be closing the chat for today.

Thank you very much for being part of our WhatsApp chat and participating actively.

Goodnight!

Megan 😊

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