Lifting of Circuit Breaker
Image adapted from: @theforagecafesg, @thesmartlocalsg
Come 1st June 2020, Singapore’s Circuit Breaker will finally be lifted. Before you get excited, life is not about to return to pre-COVID-19 times. Instead, Singapore will take a 3-phase approach to resuming normal day-to-day activities.
Instead of depending on hearsay of what we can and cannot do, here are the answers to commonly asked questions on what to expect once the Circuit Breaker ends.
Yes, you may visit your parents or grandparents who are not living with you. However, they may only receive 2 people within one household a day.
This means that if your siblings are living in a different household from you, you can only visit your parents and Ah Gong and Ah Ma on separate occasions. This will help minimise contact yet ensure that we can spend time with and support our elders.
Pre-school: They will gradually re-open by levels from 2 June 2020, fully resuming by 10 June 2020.
Primary & Secondary school: Students from graduating cohorts will go back to school while the rest of the cohorts will alternate weekly between Home-Based Learning (HBL) and having classes in school.
Junior Colleges & Millennia Institute: Only half of the student population will be back in school at any one time.
Universities & Institutes of Higher Learning: For students whose terms are still in session, they will return to school for practical and lab-based sessions. Lectures will still remain online.
More details will be provided by the Ministry of Education and respective educational institutions.
Stay safe, be responsible and mask up. Whether leaving home for essential activities or heading back to school or work, we’re still required to wear our masks.
Besides essential businesses that are already operating, manufacturing companies and offices can re-open, but most employees should still be working from home and only return to the office if necessary. For example, to access special systems or equipment that are unavailable from home.
Here is the official list of services and businesses that will resume activities from 2 June 2020.
Places of worship will be reopened after Circuit Breaker. However, no congregational services will take place. Only private worship with a maximum of 5 people from the same household can take place.
Families can still gather for funerals and wakes, with only 10 people allowed on-site at one time.
While you may not be able to have the massive wedding banquet of your dreams just yet, marriage solemnisations will be able to take place in-person after this Circuit Breaker. Only 10 people may be present for the ceremony.
For now, home workouts and runs within your neighbourhood will have to suffice. Gyms and other sports facilities will remain closed until further notice.
Image credit: @theforagecafesg
Sadly, your weekend cafe brunch plans will have to be on hold for now. Dining in at F&B outlets will continue to be disallowed, so you’ll have to make do with takeaways and delivery.
Image credit: @sixpotsofhoney
For the time being, your favourite bubble tea shops will remain closed besides those that are currently in operation.
Hair salons and barbers have been opened since 12 May 2020 and are allowed to provide basic haircut services. After the Circuit Breaker, they’ll be allowed to resume all hairdressing services so go forth and get that mane in order.
Image credit: @happienailwrap
These services are considered to involve significant prolonged close contact and as such would not be opened for the first phase of reopening after the Circuit Breaker.
Depending on the situation, they may open in Phase 3 when most social, cultural, religious and business gatherings would have resumed.
Image credit: @thesmartlocalsg
Once the Circuit Breaker is over, social gatherings will still be prohibited besides the exception for people visiting their parents or grandparents.
If the situation looks up in Phase 2, social activities in small groups may be allowed.
Unfortunately, your late-night haunts will not be opening their doors any time soon. As they involve lots of people in an enclosed space, they may only be allowed to reopen in Phase 3 with strict safe management measures implemented.
With other countries around the world battling it out with COVID-19, it may be some time before it’s safe for Singapore to allow travel for foreigners into Singapore. This means that travelling to other countries will depend on whether those countries gradually reopen their borders too.
While Singapore’s Circuit Breaker is coming to an end, this is the time for us to continue to be socially responsible to avoid community cases rising and potentially bringing us back to square 1. Depending on the COVID-19 situation and whether or not community transmission remains low, it may take weeks or even months to move to the next phase of reopening.
By being safe and continuing to go out only for essential services, we can help move along the re-opening of phases, so that we can slowly go back to doing the things we love.
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