Legal Requirement for Masks to Be Lifted Aug. 29; Hospital, Care Home Restrictions to Ease Sept. 1

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) will begin implementing changes to its Safe Management Measures (SMMs) following Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's announcement that the government will ease its mask requirements, requiring it only on public transport and health care settings.

In a press release yesterday, the MOH said it will remove the legal requirement for mask-wearing indoors starting Aug. 29, save for "enclosed and crowded areas" where essential services are conducted, and used by persons with vulnerabilities.

Mask-wearing will only be required in health care facilities, residential care homes including welfare and sheltered homes for the aged and adult disability homes, and ambulances, as well as public transport such as the MRT, LRT, and public buses. For school buses, taxis, private bus services, mask-wearing shall be optional.

The MOH will also ease its SMMs for hospital and residential care home visitors. It initially extended visitor SMMs to hospitals and care homes until Aug. 31, as per TODAY on Aug. 2, with only one visitor allowed at the bedside. However, by Sept. 1, hospitals will begin allowing two visitors per patient at the bedside each time, while care homes will allow two visitors per resident per visit.

Visitors are required to take a rapid antigen test on the day of their visit and are advised not to push through if they are not feeling well.

Visitors must wear face masks with good filtration capability, such as surgical masks or two-layer reusable fabric masks. Eating and drinking are not allowed in hospital wards and care homes, as well as using patients' and residents' toilets. The MOH likewise advised visitors not to sit on patients' and residents' beds.