In the press conference on Singapore’s reopening on Thursday (March 24), co-chair of the multi-ministry taskforce Lawrence Wong said that the government has not decided to reopen the nightlife sector just yet but would like to see the reopening of the sector in due course.
This comes as some measures such as the lifting of the 10.30pm alcohol sale and consumption ban was announced amid measures to reopen the economy. It will take effect from March 29.
In the session, Wong said that singing will be permitted in groups at congregations and schools but for nightlife establishments it will take some time for the Covid-19 restrictions to lift.
These establishments who have public entertainment licences are “not only of higher risk of transmission but have higher difficulty in complying” he said.
“We would like to see the reopening of the sector…and will announce later plans on reopening these establishments.” The minister referenced bars, pubs, nightclubs, and karaoke places as nightlife establishments.
The nightlife sector has been unable to operate as usual since the pandemic hit the country in 2020 due to higher risks of transmission in these places and many companies have pivot to food establishments to tide over this period.
There were pilots to restart that sector but a spike in Covid-19 cases due to errant individuals flouting the rules led to a further tightened clampdown.
Featured Image Credit: Zouk
