Singapore streamlines safe management measures: What you need to know

Following previous postponements, Singapore’s Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MMF) confirmed that the city-state will streamline Safe Management Measures (SMMs) across five core parameters. The streamlining of SMM 1 to 5 is effective as of today (March 15, 2022). The decision to implement new measures comes as the daily local numbers have started to gradually decline. In this Pacific Prime Singapore article, we take a closer look at the latest safe management measures in Singapore.

The latest COVID-19 measures in Singapore

According to Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH), medical facilities are still dealing with high workloads but it is stabilizing. As a result, the city-state is proceeding with simplified COVID-19 management measures per the SMM 1 to 5 framework as follows:

Group sizes
Mask-wearing
Workplace requirements
Safe distancing
Capacity limits

Let’s dive into the five measures to watch out for in Singapore effective March 15, 2022, along with other SMMs worth knowing.

Group sizes

Social gatherings in Singapore are still limited to five persons. The reason the number of people in a group has yet to change is that group size directly impacts the number of close contacts. Consequently, group size is likely to be a major contributing factor to infections.

With that said, the gathering limit at home in Singapore is changing. The maximum number of unique visitors per household was five persons per day, whereas it’s now five persons at any one time. Since many infections occur at home, this can be seen as a relaxing of measures, but the argument is that multiple sets of visitors don’t usually visit households except for during festivities. Instead, people who want to meet with several groups of friends usually do so outside of their homes.

Mask-wearing

Mask-wearing will continue as usual. In Singapore, this measure is required as a default as it provides effective protection against infection.

Workplace requirements

The practice of permitting 50% of employees who can work from home to return to the office is ongoing. Social gatherings with groups of no more than five persons are allowed, as long as rules regarding group size and mask-wearing are followed. The cross-deployment of employees across workplaces is no longer restricted either. However, employers can opt to avoid cross-deployment for business continuity reasons.

Safe distancing

In settings where people do not need to wear masks, safe distancing remains a requirement. For mask-on settings, on the other hand, safe distancing measures are encouraged but not required. The safe distance requirement is 1 meter between individuals or groups for all relevant settings. Capacity limits (see next point) will remain for Singapore to guard against large gatherings, even if all participants wear masks.

Capacity limits

The sizes of events will depend on the venue’s capacity. This implies that there is no capacity limit for mask-on events involving 1,000 persons or less. Similarly, a 50% capacity limit of the venue will apply to events with 1,000 persons or more.

This change means that services in smaller settings can proceed as usual, if there are no more than 1,000 persons and they all wear masks, such as:

Business events
Classes
Wedding receptions
Religious services
Funerary memorial events
Media conferences
Solemnizations

Since settings of over 1,000 persons and large events continue to pose a greater risk of infection, they’ll be subject to a 50% capacity limit. These include:

Attractions
Cruises
Meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE)
Work-related events
Performing arts venues
Sports stadiums

Groups with children

Unvaccinated children born in 2010 or later (or 12 years old and below) do not need to be from the same household to be part of a group participating in activities or entering premises with vaccination differentiated measures.

Resuming team sports

Team sports are permitted for up to 30 fully vaccinated persons, including players, coaches, etc., at specified sports facilities like ActiveSG/PA facilities and private facilities approved by Sport-SG. The Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth (MCCY) will gradually increase the number of venues in the weeks to come.

Community safe management measures will apply before and after the sports activity, as well as during rest breaks. Additional testing is not required as long as all participants are fully vaccinated. However, participants are strongly advised to self-test before entering the facility. Before the sports activity starts, participants must complete a health declaration form.

Migrant workers

According to MOH, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will streamline the safe management measures for migrant workers residing in dormitories to align with the rest of the community. Additionally, up to 15,000 vaccinated migrant workers will be permitted to visit the community on weekdays, along with up to 30,000 on weekends and public holidays. Each visit can last up to 8 hours. This is a significant increase from the previous quotes of 3,000 on weekdays and 6,000 on weekends and public holidays.

Border measures

Imported infection numbers have remained low at around 1% of total daily infections. From March 14, 2022, at 2359 hours, Singapore is allowing for unsupervised self-swab Antigen Rapid Tests (ARTs) within 24 hours of entry for all incoming visitors on the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) (under the General Category), as well as Category I travelers entering the city-state.

VTL and Category I travelers are required to report their unsupervised self-swab ART test results online via the Sync platform before going about their activities in Singapore. Click on this link for more details about the latest border measures for travelers.

Prioritize your health with Pacific Prime Singapore

As healthcare facilities in Singapore continue to deal with a heavy workload, the public is urged to exercise personal responsibility as best they can. One way that you can do your part is to stay as healthy as possible. One easy and cost-effective way to do that is to secure individual health insurance in Singapore.

With a comprehensive health insurance plan, you can confidently access quality medical care whenever you need it – without worrying about paying for hefty hospital bills out of pocket. But choosing the right health insurance plan can be a daunting task. That’s why many expats and locals turn to a reputable insurance broker like Pacific Prime Singapore.

Our 20+ years of industry experience gives us the knowledge and expertise to help you choose the ideal plan for your needs and budget, along with our highly trained insurance advisors who are there to guide you every step of the way. Whether you’re looking for expat health insurance in Singapore or globally, look no further than Pacific Prime.

Contact us for impartial advice and a free plan comparison today.

​​Jantra Jacobs is a content writer at Pacific Prime. On a typical workday, she writes and edits articles, guides, and anything else word-related. She loves creating content that is both easy to understand and enjoyable to read.

In her free time, she’s likely to be writing poetry and prose, geeking out on her latest interests, reading, or practicing yoga.