The Singaporean government has further eased Covid-19 restrictions within the country with several mandatory SOPs being retracted. As reported by The Straits Times, the Singaporean Health Ministry announced that temperature screenings will no longer be a requirement in public places starting this Thursday (19 August 2021).
This announcement prompted employment agencies to expect less demand for temperature screener positions. Temperature screeners are a new employment opportunity that has popped up following the pandemic in Singapore and will soon be obsolete after more and more people are getting fully vaccinated in the country. However, temperature screeners are confident that they will still have a job after this SOP relaxation and will be deployed in some other capacity.
Furthermore, following the retraction of the SOP, many Singaporean malls will stop conducting temperature screenings for visitors starting 19 August. A spokesperson for Frasers Property Retail which manages 14 malls in Singapore have already confirmed that they will no longer conduct temperature screenings but will continue to facilitate contact tracing requirements. Another company, Far East Organisation which manages 17 malls will also cease temperature screenings and deploy temperature screeners to ensure contact tracing requirements instead.
Besides ceasing the requirement for temperature check, Singapore will also be relaxing other SOPs starting 19 August. These include:
- Workplaces are allowed 50% capacity. However, working from home is still advisable.
- Capacity for malls, cinemas, cruises, libraries and attractions are increased.
Previously, Singapore had already eased several restrictions in the country for those who have been fully vaccinated starting last Tuesday (10 August 2021). These include:
- Dining in restaurants allowed in groups of five.
- Gatherings are allowed for up to five people, up from two.
- Events like worship services, movies, spectator sports, weddings and others can have larger gathering if everyone is fully vaccinated.
SOPs for those not fully vaccinated were also relaxed on 10 August, including allowing dining in for up to two people at hawker centres.
What do you guys think of the relaxation of SOPs by the Singaporean government? Should something similar be emulated in Malaysia? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
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