When it was reported that there was zero Singapore / Singapore PR case this afternoon, my spidey sense told me that there would be a press conference tonight.
And indeed, there was, and for the first time since Lawrence Wong took to the stage to become the face of the fight against COVID-19, he looks so much more handsome today.
Because Phase Two, the real reopening, is now confirmed, and it’s coming earlier than we expected.
Phase One will end on 18 June 2020, 11:59pm, and from 19 June 2020, 12am, Singapore will look a tad more normal.
With so many notifications coming your way, we’ve now listed down the 11 facts about Phase Two that you’re dying to know.
Social Gathering of 5 People Will be Allowed
Dating couples who’ve been “Zoom-ing” each other for the last 2.5 months, rejoice.
Because after months of touching your sofa instead of your bae, you can finally touch your bae.
But wait—it’s mentioned that while social gathering of a maximum of 5 is allowed, you’d still have to keep a 1 metre distance away from each other.
So does that mean you can’t hold hands? Like that how to show Instagram that you’re still together?
Well, it’s not explicitly mentioned but here’s what MOH said: “Where not feasible or practical to apply one metre safe distancing between individuals, this one metre requirement can instead be enforced between groups, with each group made up of not more than five persons, and with no mixing between groups.”
I think they’re referring to couples. Or maybe mahjong players.
In addition, this limit of 5 would also apply to household visits: only 5 people can visit another household. So if you’re a big family, split up lah.
5 is also the magic number for…
Dine-in Will (Finally) be Allowed
…with a maximum of 5 people in a table.
And this applies to all eateries, whether you’re a hotpot restaurant or an Instagram-worthy café. If you’d have noticed, eateries have already prepared for this.
However, sales and consumption of liquor will cease before 10:30pm.
Also, forget about watching a soccer match in your favourite coffeeshop—live band and TV screening aren’t allowed. So dabao your drinks and watch at home instead, please.
RIP to all food delivery riders, indeed.
Shops Can Reopen
It doesn’t matter what you sell; you can now reopen.
However, there would be a limit in the capacity of a mall. Lest you think it’ll be based on agakation, think again: SafeEntry can effectively know how many people are in a place at any given time, so this would be enforced.
There is no mention of any limit in the number of people in a shop, though; nevertheless, safe-distancing measures must be implemented in the shop, so crowds are still controlled. Those caught not implementing them might be told to close.
Also, by right, shopkeepers can’t socialise with each other. So don’t fall in love with your co-workers now, please. Getting married is, after all, still a tad tricky because…
Wedding Soleminisations, Wakes & Funerals Capped to 20 People
If you somehow fall in love with your co-worker without talking to her, and decided to wed her just to talk to her, you can do so, but the soleminisation is still capped at 10 people if you have it at home or ROM, or 20 if you have it elsewhere.
For wakes and funerals, the cap has also been increased from 10 to 20.
Public Facilities Can Now Reopen
If you’ve used the excuse that you can’t exercise due to the closure of gyms and swimming pool, you can’t use it now.
Public and private facilities such as stadiums, swimming pools, playgrounds, beaches, lawns and fields, hard courts, gyms, fitness studios, bowling centres, and function room can now reopen.
All the cats that have been resting peacefully in those playgrounds must be upset now.
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Tuition and Private Classes (except singing or voice training classes) Can Resume
To all students who’ve been hoping that tuition classes would close forever—your wish is not granted.
Tuition centres, which have closed even before Circuit Breaker, can now reopen. This includes home tuition (unless you have more than 5 tutors coming to your house lah, that one sounds more like a Japan movie instead) and any other home-based services.
Reader Bao: Like what?
I don’t know, but just any home-based services lah.
However, singing or voice training classes can’t resume for obvious reasons.
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And students, there are more goody news for you.
Schools to Fully Reopen from 29 June 2020
Now, students can stay home to watch TikTok for a week and go to school the next week.
From 29 June 2020 onwards, they’d have to go to school every day.
More details will be revealed by the Ministry of Education later this week.
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Businesses That Still Cannot Reopen
Want to watch the latest movie?
Well, there’s no new movie anyways, so subscribe to Netflix if you haven’t done so. Also, cinemas, and many other places, still can’t reopen.
Here’s the agak agak list of activities and businesses that will remain closed:
- Religious services and congregations;
- Large cultural venues such as libraries and museums;
- Large-scale events and venues, such as conferences, exhibitions, concerts and trade fairs
- Entertainment venues such as bars, nightclubs, karaoke outlets, cinemas, theatres, as well as indoor and outdoor attractions.
We kind of expected that, though.
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Bubble Tea Shops Can Reopen
Why is Goody Feed different from other platforms? Other than making boring news more entertaining and yet still informative (download our app please?), we know what matters most to people in Singapore.
Fruit juice shops can now reopen.
Reason being, every shop can now reopen, so fruit juice shops, which everyone’s been dying to have during the last two months, are expected to have long queues come 19 June 2020.
And oh, bubble tea shops are reopening, too. Who cares.
Work Arrangements in Phase Two Remains the Same
If you’ve been telecommuting during the Circuit Breaker period and Phase One, you must continue to telecommute during Phase Two.
In addition, masks are still part of our fashion, so don’t throw away your masks on 18 June 2020, 11:59pm.
Even if you’re that poor dude who’s been forced to go back to the office to work, you still can’t socialise in your workplace. You can only gather in groups of less than 5 after work.
I think that rule is made up by my boss, but anyways.
Next Target: Phase Three (Safe Nation)
Phase Two will go on for months—for all you know, we might have a different Prime Minister during Phase Two.
But the target is for us to move on to Phase Three, in which more restrictions would be lifted, and Singapore would look more like 2019.
No details about Phase Three have been revealed, so if you intend to hold a wedding dinner soon, save your money for your honeymo—wait, you can’t travel, too.
Which is why the authorities are telling us to do our part in Phase Two so that we can move to Phase Three. To do so, we must follow this advice that we’ve read a million times:
- Uphold good personal hygiene
- Practise safe distancing and management
- Check in and out with Safe-Entry and download the Trace-Together app
- Exercise social responsibility
- Keep to a small regular circle of contacts
Together, we can move on to Phase Three, whereby we can finally sing to our heart’s contents in a KTV studio.
Reader Bao: If they’ve not fold—
Shut up and don’t jinx them. Come, clap and sing for them; it always helps.
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