SINGAPORE - All standalone food and beverage (F&B) outlets selling mainly drinks and snacks, as well as hairdressing and barber shops, will have to shut by 11.59pm on Tuesday (April 21).

This is part of a further tightening on businesses deemed essential during Singapore's circuit breaker, which has now been extended until June 1.

Separately, temperature screening will be done at all supermarkets and malls from April 22. Visitors will also have to provide their particulars for contact tracing, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said in a statement on Tuesday (April 21) night.

For the F&B sector, standalone outlets - excluding those in hawker centres, foodcourts and coffee shops - that sell predominantly beverages, packaged snacks, confectioneries or desserts will have to shut down, the ministry said.

These include specialised stores and outlets that mainly sell:

- Drinks such as bubble tea, fruit juice, smoothies and soya bean; alcoholic beverages; coffee and tea.

- Packaged and loose snacks including nuts, potato chips, popcorn, bak kwa and cheese

- Desserts such as red/ green bean soup, grass jelly, ice cream, yogurt, cakes, cupcakes, waffles, chocolate, cookies, sweet pastries and donuts.

Online retailing of these products is allowed only if they are fulfilled from a licensed central kitchen, manufacturing facility or warehouse that is not under exclusion by MTI.

Eateries and food vending machines in parks, with the exception of hawker centres, must also shut.

All other food establishments, including those that sell hot or cooked snacks or breads, may remain open for takeaway and delivery services only.

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Additional restrictions on selected consumer-facing businesses will also be put in place to further reduce customer interactions.

From Wednesday (April 22), optician shops can no longer accept walk-in customers, and must operate by appointment only. Pet supply stores and retail laundry services must also shut their physical stores, but may provide online sales and delivery.

The number of businesses allowed to have staff operating at their workplaces will also be reduced, particularly among those that are less critical for daily living or maintaining essential supply chains, MTI said.

This will mean that some businesses will have to suspend on-site activities. MTI said that those affected will be notified and given 24 hours to wind up operations.

"While this may mean some degradation of services, it is necessary to further reduce the number of workers in essential firms and minimise the risks of transmission among workers," the ministry said.

All other businesses which had received earlier approval from MTI to operate through May 4, when the circuit breaker was originally due to end, may continue to do so through June 1.

They must however ensure safe distancing measures, bar the cross-deployment of staff to other outlets and log their workers’ entry and exit from the premises for contact tracing purposes.



A queue at the Gong Cha outlet at Woodlands MRT station on April 21, 2020. ST PHOTO: KHALID BABA





A queue at Sweet Talk, a bubble tea and dessert shop, in Tampines Street 81 at around 9.30pm on April 21, 2020. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR



Businesses that do not implement or comply with the Government’s safe distancing advisories may be ineligible for government grants, loans, tax rebates and other assistance, MTI warned.

The list of activities that will be allowed to continue to operate will be updated at this website.