SINGAPORE - The Singapore Armed Forces will conduct training in smaller groups and defer all in-camp training that is not essential for operations for at least a month, said the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday (March 31).

Fitness-conditioning centres, where operationally-ready national servicemen (NSmen) take their physical fitness tests, will be closed.

Individual Physical Proficiency Tests (IPPT), IPPT Preparatory Training (IPT), and remedial training at Fitness Conditioning Centres, Safra gyms and IPT-in-the-Park locations has been suspended.

IPPT requirements for affected NSmen will be waived, said Mindef in a statement on the latest SAF measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The ministry noted that critical operations to safeguard Singapore - such as island defence, protection of key installations, maritime security and air defence operations - continue to be performed around the clock.

Units performing these roles have been separated into different groups to ensure operations are not interrupted while in-camp training supporting these critical functions will continue, it said.

The tightened measures will take immediate effect and last until April 30.

The measures may be extended if the Covid-19 situation does not improve, added Mindef.

It said: "While there is no requirement at this juncture for more stringent measures such as isolating essential operational units within SAF premises, the SAF will continue to monitor the evolving situation and may implement further measures to ensure continued operational readiness should the Covid-19 situation deteriorate."

Activities that are critical for the build-up of operational units, such as enlistment exercises, will continue with the enhanced measures in place.

On Monday (March 30), the commander of the Basic Military Training Centre at Pulau Tekong had announced that upcoming direct enlistment exercises this week will be done in smaller batches, with no guests invited.

This means that parents will not be able to see off their children at Pulau Tekong and have to drop them off at Selarang Camp instead.

The latest measures come on top of others already introduced, such as temperature monitoring, deferment or cancellation of large-scale events and social gatherings, staggered mealtimes and wider physical spacing in workplace and common areas, said Mindef.

Related Story Coronavirus explainers: What you should know to protect yourself

In a video interview sent to the media on Tuesday, Chief of Defence Force Melvyn Ong said that it is increasingly clear that, nearly three months into the Covid-19 outbreak, things are unlikely to return to status quo anytime soon.

Said Lieutenant-General Ong:"Our overriding purpose from the beginning has been to maintain our operational readiness and to protect our servicemen. The SAF stands ready to defend Singapore's peace and security amid the global Covid-19 outbreak."