SINGAPORE: Up to 100 attendees will be allowed at all worship services and weddings from Oct 3, up from the current limit of 50.
The announcement, made at a multi-ministry taskforce (MTF) virtual press conference on Wednesday (Sep 23), follows a pilot by the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth (MCCY) from Aug 7, which allowed an increase in the limit of worshippers for congregational and worship services at 12 religious organisations.
AdvertisementAdvertisement[h=3]READ: COVID-19: 12 religious organisations will be allowed to hold services of up to 100 people as part of pilot[/h]In a news release, the Ministry of Health (MOH) also said that MCCY is considering a pilot to increase worship limits up to 250 people (five zones of 50 people for congregational services) and will release further details subsequently.
For weddings, up to 100 unique attendees will be allowed, subject to venue capacity. This figure includes the wedding couple, and excludes vendors and service providers.
Participants in a wedding can be split into multiple zones of up to 50 people each, or split by staggered timings with up to 50 people in each slot, said MOH. There should be at least 30 minutes between slots for the event space to be cleaned and disinfected.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAt the beginning of Phase 2 of Singapore's reopening on Jun 19, marriage solemnisations were allowed to take place with up to 20 people. It was further expanded to 50 people from Aug 4.
"We have taken a cautious approach to events like weddings. Some couples have put off their wedding plans in the hope that they can ride out the pandemic and proceed with their original plans for a large wedding reception like what we used to do before the COVID-19 pandemic," said Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong.
"But the end of the pandemic is still some way off, and indefinitely postponing a wedding may not be practical or desirable."
[h=3]COVID-19 restrictions to further ease for weddings, funerals from Aug 4; more people allowed to attend[/h]The cap for marriage solemnisations will also be increased to 100 people, split across multiple zones of up to 50 people each, said MOH. Video link solemnisations will continue to be offered as an option for couples.
A pilot will also be launched from November to allow wedding receptions organised by a registered wedding organiser to take place at Housing Development Board (HDB) common areas, such as void decks and multi purpose halls managed by town councils.
Further details, including the commencement date for this initiative, will be released at a later stage, said MOH.
"The increase in the number of attendees is aimed at facilitating marriages that may have been postponed or put on hold. Given the dynamic situation of the COVID19 situation, we encourage couples who are ready to proceed with their wedding plans to do so without delay," said MOH.
"The Multi-Ministry Taskforce will continue to review the parameters of marriage solemnisations and wedding receptions based on the ability of organisers and attendees to work together to adhere to the necessary safe management measures. The pilot can only be sustained if these higher-risk events are conducted in a manner that is safe for the wedding couple, their family and friends, and the general public."
In addition, large cinema halls with more than 300 seats will be allowed to have up to three zones of up to 50 patrons each, said MOH.
Other cinema halls will also be permitted to increase their capacity to 50 per cent of their original operating capacity, or maintain the current limit of up to 50 patrons per hall, subject to the relevant safe management measures.
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