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COVID: Social gatherings at workplaces not allowed from Wednesday – MOH

Office workers seen during lunch hour in Singapore’s central business district on 2 June 2020. (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore)
Office workers seen during lunch hour in Singapore’s central business district. (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore)

SINGAPORE — Social gatherings and social interactions at workplaces will not be allowed from Wednesday (8 September), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement on Monday.

“We have observed that the recent clusters in workplace settings have taken place because of lax safe management measures, especially in areas like staff canteens and pantries where people tend to let their guard down and interact amongst themselves without their masks on,” MOH said.

The authorities will also take tougher action if there are workers who are infected.

Employers will be required to put in place a maximum Work-From-Home (WFH) requirement over 14 days, should one or more of their workers be found to have contracted COVID-19 and have returned to their workplace.

“This means that everyone in the company who can WFH will be required to do so. Those who are working from home should minimise social gatherings and leave their homes only for essential activities during this 14-day period,” MOH said.

MOH also strongly encourages all individuals, especially the vulnerable elderly or persons staying with elderly, to reduce their non-essential social activities for the next two weeks.

They should continue to limit their social circle to a small group of regular contacts and limit themselves to one social gathering a day, whether to another household or in a public place, MOH said.

All individuals should also self-test regularly with Antigen Rapid Tests (ARTs), especially if they participate in higher-risk activities or attend large-scale events, MOH added. These ART kits are now sold at most supermarkets and convenience stores.

The number of new infection cases in the community has almost doubled to more than 1,200 cases in the week ending 5 September, up from around 600 cases in the week before.

MOH confirmed 241 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore on Monday, taking the country's total case count to 68,901. Of them, 235 cases are locally transmitted, including 110 unlinked infections, while six are imported.

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