70 more hawker centres allow 5 vaccinated diners to eat in a group from Tuesday
SINGAPORE - Dining options have expanded, with up to five vaccinated people now able to eat in a group at 102 hawker centres from Tuesday (Nov 30), up 70 centres from Monday's 32.
The move is part of a deepening of vaccination-differentiated measures that requires hawker centres to implement inoculation checks at access points.
Eight more hawker centres undergoing repairs and redecoration, or spring cleaning, will join the list when they reopen, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on its website.
This will bring the total to 110, which The Straits Times understands accounts for all the hawker centres managed by the NEA or NEA-appointed operators, except for Jurong West Hawker Centre, which is not in operation until further notice.
The operator of the Jurong West facility did not renew its contract in August last year, citing lacklustre business.
Tuesday's announcement marks the largest step in the progressive relaxation of curbs on the number of diners at hawker centres since Nov 23, when an initial 11 hawker centres and seven coffee shops started to allow dining in for groups of up to five people from different households.
Those who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated can only buy food for takeaway.
Of the eight hawker centres that have yet to reopen, four are undergoing repairs and redecoration. They are Block 159 Mei Chin Road, Kallang Estate Market, Amoy Street Food Centre and Dunman Food Centre.
Their reopening dates range from Dec 9 to Feb 28 next year.
The remaining four undergoing spring cleaning are Boon Lay Place Market and Food Village, Block 4A Jalan Batu Hawker Centre/Market, Empress Road Market and Food Centre, and 216 Bedok North Street 1 (Market and Food Centre).
Elsewhere, 71 coffee shops and canteens may allow groups of up to five vaccinated diners, according to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in a list updated as at Monday.
The tally of 71 is up 54 from the 17 mentioned by Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor on Facebook last Thursday.
The full list is on the SFA website, which notes that coffee shop and canteen operators looking to join the list must register their intent to implement the required measures and submit photos of the measures put in place.
These include controlling access to the premises by cordoning off areas and ensuring dedicated entry points, as well as checking the vaccination status of all patrons at these points.
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