Up to five fully vaccinated people from same household can dine in together from Nov 10

From Nov 10, households of up to five fully vaccinated people will be allowed to dine in at F&B establishments, the authorities have announced. 

However, this does not include hawker centres and coffee shops, as comprehensive Vaccination-Differentiated Safe Management Measures (VDS) checks on diners cannot be carried out there. 

The announcement was made at a press conference on Monday (Nov 8) evening by the Multi-Ministry Taskforce for COVID-19 (MTF). It is in line with the previous announcement that measures for the Stabilisation Phase will be reviewed in early November.

F&B establishments are responsible for checking the status of their diners before seating them. Those who breach the rule will be fined and F&B outlets will be subject to immediate closures.

The establishments will also be allowed to play soft recorded music, but live music and performances remain banned. 

Social gathering sizes and the cap on dining in at F&B establishments for people from different households still remains at two. The number of unique household visitors also remains at two. 

From Dec 8, COVID-19 patients who remain unvaccinated by choice will be responsible for their medical bills.

Currently, the Government is footing COVID-19 medical bills of all Singaporeans, Permanent Residents and Long-Term Pass Holders (SCs/PRs/LTPHs), other than for those who tested positive soon after returning from overseas travel, in full. 

However, as unvaccinated individuals now make up a sizeable majority of those who require intensive inpatient care, authorities have decided to begin charging COVID-19 patients who are unvaccinated by choice.

COVID-19 medical bills for those who are ineligible for vaccination will still be fully paid for by the Government, including children under 12 years old or medically ineligible persons.

Those who are partially vaccinated will not be charged until Dec 31 so as to allow them time to be fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 patients who are unvaccinated by choice may still tap on regular healthcare financing arrangements to pay for their bills such as the regular Government subsidies and private insurance plans.

The MTF also announced plans to resume more activities for fully vaccinated individuals.

Starting with sports and selected MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) events, authorities will pilot the resumption of more activities for fully vaccinated persons, subject to the additional requirement of them undergoing antigen rapid tests (ART).

Called the “VDS+ART” protocol, it will allow higher-risk activities to resume safely. If successful, this protocol can be extended to other settings.

More activities will also resume in schools, in preparation for the larger-scale safe resumption of co-curricular learning activities in the coming school year.

“Such activities are important in ensuring the rich learning experiences for our students and in their holistic development, so we believe this is crucial to resume,” said Finance Minister Mr Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the task force.

Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) will be extended to Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Finland and Sweden from Nov 29. Vaccinated Travel Pass applications for Short-Term Visitors and Long-Term Pass Holders will commence on Nov 22.