A few days ago, the COVID-19 task force made the announcement we all wanted to hear: dining-in is back.
However, they added that only fully vaccinated individuals can dine in at restaurants in groups of up to five, which begs two questions: how and when are they going to check our vaccination status?
Well, now we have an answer.
MOH Lists Down Eligibility Criteria for Dining-In & How Verification Will be Done
It’s quite simple really: show your TraceTogether or HealthHub app and gobble down those rolls of sushi you’ve been craving.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) detailed the eligibility criteria for the new dining out rules, and explained how verification will be done.
Residents who receive Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shots here will have their vaccination record updated automatically in the National Immunisation Registry.
Their vaccination status will reflected on their TraceTogether and HealthHub apps from today (10 Aug).
This is what residents will use as proof of vaccination; simply show it to an employee when entering the restaurant.
Businesses using the SafeEntry (Business) app will also be able to get this information when customers check in with their TraceTogether app or token.
Sinovac vaccine recipients will be permitted to dine in at restaurants as well; they just have to show their vaccination status, which will be reflected in the HealthHub app.
MOH: Hard Copies of Overseas Vaccination Certs Not Allowed
If you received your vaccination in another country, the verification process is a little more complex.
Unfortunately, you can’t just show up with a hard copy of your overseas vaccination certificate and expect to be let in.
F&B establishments have been instructed not to allow such diners, as it’ll be difficult to verify the authenticity of these certificates, which are issued in different formats and languages, MOH said.
Citizens, PRs, and long-term pass holders who have received their vaccination abroad will first have to provide documents of proof to an approved provider and take a serology test to confirm that their vaccination has been effective.
It’s only when this test comes back positive that their vaccinations status will be reflected on the TraceTogether and HealthHub apps.
MOH is still working out a similar process for short-term visitors who have been vaccinated overseas.
Exceptions to the Rule
Only vaccinated individuals will be allowed to dine in at F&B establishments in groups of up to five, but there are a few exceptions to the rule.
These are:
- People who have recovered from COVID-19 and have a valid pre-event testing exemption notice
- People who have a negative pre-event test result for the duration of his or her meal from an MOH-approved COVID-19 test provider within the last 24 hours
- Children aged 12 and below, as long as all children in the dining group are from the same household
All Residents Can Eat at Coffee Shops & Hawker Centres Regardless of Vaccination Status
If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, it’s not all bad news; all residents will be allowed to dine in at hawker centres and coffee shops regardless of vaccination status.
You can only do so in groups of two, however.
Group size limits for social gatherings for both groups will be increased to five. The permitted number of distinct household visitors per day will also be increased to five.
These social gatherings should be capped at two per day.
Do note that a person is only considered fully vaccinated two weeks after he or she has received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Sinovac vaccines.
If the COVID-19 situation remains stable, more restrictions will be relaxed from 19 Aug.
Our fingers are crossed.
Featured Image: kandl stock / Shutterstock.com