SINGAPORE - Taxi drivers and food delivery riders can eat at public spaces or in their vehicles if it is not practical for them to head home for meals, the Health Ministry (MOH) clarified on Saturday (April 11).

In an update to the "frequently asked questions" page on its website, the ministry said workers providing essential services should have meals at their work premises while practising safe distancing.

For "selected workers whose work requires them to be on the move", they should return to their offices or homes to eat.

But if this is not practical, the MOH said such workers are allowed to eat in their vehicles or in public spaces such as Housing Board block void decks or park benches.

The update comes after taxi and private-hire car drivers, and food delivery riders told The Straits Times they did not know where to eat during their shifts, after stricter measures banned dining at eateries and hawker centres.

Some resorted to eating off the boot of their vehicle or squatting on the kerb by the road, for fear of breaking the law.

In its Saturday update, the MOH said such workers should eat alone and quickly, keep at least 1m apart from others, and leave the public space in a clean state after they are done with their meal.

They must also carry identification that can prove they are employed in their line of work, and be ready to provide it when requested by safe distancing ambassadors, enforcement officers, or police officers.

On Friday, the National Environment Agency clarified that hawkers can eat at tables immediately in front of their stalls, after confusion among some stallholders who were afraid to eat at hawker centres for fear of breaking circuit breaker rules.

But hawkers must not share tables or gather, and should always maintain a distance of at least 1m from others, the agency added.