With the announcement of Phase 3, social gatherings will be expanded to have a maximum group size of 8. This is great news for all of us as we slowly make our way back to normality! Hopefully, with the upcoming vaccination exercise, we can gather in groups like we used to before COVID-19.
For our partners and customers though, there still seems to be some confusion over the various guidelines and we decided to share the links and resources we have so that you readers can have a clear understanding of what safety management measures that need to be taken.
For social gatherings, the guidelines are quite clear so we shall not really go that much into details about it.
Conducting workshops and classes
For workshops and classes, the key thing is observing a 1 metre distance between all participants, or if not possible, than in groups of 5 or less. Thus, for smaller venues like the classroom shown below, the max capacity will be 5 + 1 instructor.
However, in larger venues such as this meeting room shown below, it is possible to have 2 groups with preferably 2 metres (minimum is 1 metre) in between them. It is important to ensure that there is no intermingling between groups.
However, at all times, the instructor and participants have to keep their face masks on. So do keep note of that. Here is the list of guides from the official bodies that we use as reference, so do check them out if you want to be sure of your adherence to the regulations in detail.
https://covid.gobusiness.gov.sg/guides/tuitionadvisory.pdf
While social groups are now allowed in 8, we have not found any clear statement from any authorities indicating that groups of 8 are permitted for enrichment or cultural classes. We will be monitoring this closely and keeping you guys updated if there are any changes in the regulation!
Work retreats, meetings and offsites
For work related events, you are able to conduct your retreats at an external venue. So if your employees do need a change of environment to get their creative juices flowing, you can consider booking an external venue.
The key considerations are that there is a limit of 50 pax, so do take note, especially if you’re planning to organise a seminar or retreat for a large team. Also, the venue must be sufficiently large enough to accommodate 1 metre safe distancing for everyone, as per the requirements of your own workplace.
No open food (such as buffets) can be displayed, but eating should be done individually and not in groups in these venues. If you plan for your team members to break for food at a F&B outlet nearby, you’ll have to keep to 5 (or 8 from 28th Dec) per group as per the social gathering limits currently.
The above summary is written with reference from the Ministry of Manpower’s own FAQ on safety management measures at the workplace. If any of you have any further questions, do check out the link below!
https://www.mom.gov.sg/covid-19/frequently-asked-questions/safe-management-measures
Solemnisation & Weddings
For venue operators, you are now able to have up to 100 pax, in physical or time zones of up to 50 each time. Live music will be allowed for Phase 3. We have tried to search for resources on whether the maximum capacity for weddings have now increased to 250 pax, as is the same for worship and cultural events, but were unable to find any clear statements or indiciation.
To be on the safe side, we recommend keeping any solemnisation events to less than 100 pax at an external venue. All information is taken from the link here, so check it out.
https://covid.gobusiness.gov.sg/faq/sectorspecific/marriage
Concluding
With the increase of the maximum pax for social gatherings, that gives us a lot more flexibility in planning for social events. It also adds a lot more ambiguity to the current guidelines for workshops, classes and cultural events as some might think that we are able to split into groups of 8 rather than the current 5. To keep on the safe side, we encourage everyone to follow the current guidelines in the links we have posted here until we have new concrete updates!
Stay safe everyone!
