STB to Raise Limit for Walking, Kayaking, Cycling Tours From 20 to 50; 8-Hr Time Limit Removed

Tour operators may soon have a renewed lease of life.

According to TODAYonline, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has unveiled in a recent advisory that certain restrictions will now be eased.

Much to the rejoicing of avid tour takers, I’m sure.

STB to Raise Limit for Walking, Kayaking, Cycling Tours From 20 to 50; 8-Hr Time Limit Removed

According to the news report, tour groups will be able to get substantially larger from tomorrow (14 Apr) onwards.

They will also be able to enjoy longer itineraries.

The revelation was unveiled yesterday (12 Apr).

In an advisory, the tourism board stated that the current limit for walking, kayaking and cycling tours has been elevated from 20 to 50.

The ongoing eight-hour time limit for tours will also be scrapped.

These developments are in line with an earlier announcement on 24 March, when the government’s COVID-19 task force officially eased community safety measures.

However, tour participants would still have to observe other ongoing measures.

For instance, they must still be split into groups of no more than eight, and are required to maintain at least 1m distance from each other. Inter-mingling between groups is also not permitted.

Other Changes

From 24 April 2021 onwards, wedding receptions, marriage solemnisations, live performances and certain business and sports events will be able to host more people, provided that they get tested for COVID-19 beforehand.

Wedding receptions and marriage solemnisations may allow up to 250 attendees in total, while live performances and certain business and sports event can have 750.

The cap for wakes and funerals on the day of the burial/cremation will also be increased, from 30 to 50 persons at any one time.

The cap for other days of the wake remains at 30 attendees at any one time. Pre-event testing is not required.

It should be noted that from 24 April 2021, individuals who have completed the full vaccination regimen and have had time to develop sufficient protection (i.e. two weeks after the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines) can gain entry to events that implement pre-event testing without the need to undergo pre-event testing.

Also, from 5 April, up to 75% of employees will be able to work in the office, up from the prior 50 per cent cap.

Meanwhile, tour operators or guides would find it easier to resume tours.

Instead of needing to seek approval for each itinerary, they may apply to the board under a single application from 14 April 2021 onwards.

However…

Employers must continue to implement the prevailing safe management measures such as regular cleaning of common spaces, demarcating safe physical distancing and mask wearing at all times

So, if your office is small, you’d have a more valid reason to work from home.

In organising work-related events, companies are reminded to adhere to the necessary safe distancing and capacity limits to keep employees and stakeholders safe. Due to the higher risk of transmission when people are unmasked, meals should not be the main feature of the event, and companies should avoid holding events over mealtimes as far as possible.

Should there be an increased risk of COVID-19 resurgence, the Ministry of Health (MOH) might adjust their stance and re-introduce more stringent measures at workplaces.

After coming such a long way, that’s the last thing we would want.

Feature Image: Virrage Images / Shutterstock.com