SG Clean campaign extended to tourism and lifestyle businesses
Senior Minister of State says businesses need to 'take all necessary precautions'
Stepping up cleaning and hygiene practices is more important now that the World Health Organisation has declared Covid-19 a pandemic, said Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education Chee Hong Tat.
Mr Chee was speaking to reporters yesterday at Plaza Singapura, where he presented several businesses along Orchard Road the SG Clean quality mark.
Mr Chee said: "What businesses can do at this front is to take all the necessary precautions.
"This is an important measure to give customers the confidence that when they come out to dine and shop, they will be safe."
Launched last month to raise cleanliness and safeguard public health at hawker centres and coffee shops, the SG Clean campaign was extended to businesses in the tourism, food and retail sectors yesterday.
Three hotels linked to the coronavirus - the Grand Hyatt Singapore, Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort and Spa and Village Hotel Sentosa - were the first three hotels to obtain the certification.
Thirty establishments in the food, retail and lifestyle sectors, such as Chinese restaurant Lokkee, beauty retailer Sephora, hairdressing and beauty salon Jean Yip Hub, also received the SG Clean logo which can be displayed on their shopfronts.
The Singapore Tourism Board and Enterprise Singapore said in a statement yesterday that the SG Clean quality mark will focus on certifying establishments that experience heavy human traffic on a daily basis, such as shopping malls, hotels and tourist attractions.
The agencies will also be encouraging more than 37,000 businesses within the tourism and lifestyle sectors to sign up for the SG Clean programme in the coming months.
To qualify for the certification, business have to go through a seven-point checklist tailored to their sectors.
The checklist includes the appointment of an SG Clean manager to oversee the establishment's practices, temperature and health screening of employees, implementation of cleanliness and hygiene processes, among others.
Mr Parveen Kumar, 42, hotel manager at the Grand Hyatt Singapore, said at a press conference yesterday the SG Cleanmark came at a perfect time, as its surveillance period is over.
The hotel was linked to seven cases of the coronavirus after a business meeting was conducted there from Jan 20 to 22.
He said: "The mark validates all our efforts with the Government to instil a sense of confidence in the local community here."
Both Lokkee and Jean Yip Hub, among the first few tenants in Plaza Singapura to receive the quality mark, said boosting customer confidence was crucial in the business recovery process.
Ms Dawn Yip, 58, chief marketing director of Jean Yip Group, said: "We turned away two walk-in (customers) because they didn't meet the requirements. Our customers' trust is important to us, and we want to assure both our customers and staff that we will try our best to protect you."
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