Coronavirus: Singapore slows its plans for reopening next week; quarantine waived for vaccinated tourists in Phuket
- Indoor dining and exercising without masks will still be allowed from Monday but only in groups of two people instead of five, as previously announced
- Thailand will focus its marketing efforts for the Phuket reopening to bring in tourists from countries including Germany, the UK and US
The city state eased some social distancing measures on Monday, allowing social gatherings of five people, up from a previous limit of two, and museums, libraries and tourist attractions have started operating at a higher capacity.
It was set to further relax restrictions next week, which would allow people to dine at restaurants and gym-goers to exercise without masks on.
“Regrettably, we are unable to proceed with our second stage of reopening. In light of the latest outbreaks and the big cluster that we have discovered … now we have to adjust our plans,” finance minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs a virus task force, said on Friday.
He said indoor dining and exercising without masks would still continue from Monday but only in groups of two people, instead of five as previously announced. The limit for these activities will be increased to five from mid-July, barring another superspreader event or cluster.
Wedding receptions will remain prohibited as they are higher-risk activities, and working from home will remain the default arrangement.
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