Health Minister answers Phase 2 questions on home renovation, family outdoor exercise & more

Not sure what you can or cannot do during this Phase 2 (heightened alert) period? Recently-appointed Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has answered some of the commonly asked questions from the public to clarify doubts and confusion.

Questions raised including clarifications on home renovation during this period, if families with more than 2 pax can exercise outdoor together, office meetings with more than 2 and more.

Here are the answers.

House owner: Can I still carry out renovation works for my house? Can I have two different groups of contractors to handle, say, carpentry and electrical works?

Yes. You can, but only two workers are allowed in your house for the whole day, with no other visitors allowed on that day. That means you can have different contractors but subject to two distinct visitors per day.

If this is a house that is vacant with no residents, then there is no cap to the number of contractors allowed in the house.

Contractor: Can I then move on to another house to do renovation?

Yes. The limit of visiting more than two households per day does not apply to those who need to do so to carry out renovation or repair work.

In my office, can I attend meetings with more than 2 persons to discuss projects?

Yes. Rule of two applies to non-work interactions. Having said that, all must be masked up properly at all times and keep 1m apart. Social gatherings are not allowed at work. Staff should have their meals individually. WFH wherever possible.

For outdoor exercises, can a family of more than two do so together? How about group exercises?

Yes. A family can exercise together or take a walk in the park. But do split up in pairs with a safe distance of 1m between each pair. This is to avoid encouraging others who may not be from the same household to do likewise.

For outdoor group exercises involving people from different households:

• With masks off – Max of 2 persons (including the instructor)
• With masks on – Max of 30 in multiple groups of 2 (conducted by instructor).

I am a taxi driver. With no dining-in, where can I eat my takeaway meals?

For people on the move all the time such as taxi drivers and delivery workers, they can do so at the void decks or in their cars. Should not socialise in groups. Hawkers who may have limited space within their stalls can eat at the table directly in front of their stalls.

Can a family of two or more travel in the same taxi or private hire car? Or share a cab with colleagues or friends?

Yes. Even if more than 2 persons, family can travel together if they live in the same household. We will also be flexible towards families fetching their elderly parents who do not live with them for essential activities such as medical appointment.

You can also share a ride with friends or colleagues but subject to max of two passengers. For example, if a group of colleagues is going somewhere, they must split into groups of not more than two.

There are also earlier questions the public have asked which you might find useful as well.

Can members of the same household go out in groups of more than 2 people?

Yes, we could have been clearer. Family members staying together can go out as one group to do essential activities, such as going to school or for medical appointment. They can also go out together as a family unit to take care of their elderly relatives, like their grandparents. For grocery shopping, do try to keep to 2 as this minimises your family’s exposure to the virus.

For a family of four (parents with two children) from the same household, can they travel in the same car?

Yes, as a family unit, they can travel in the same car or take public transport together. Do observe safe management measures when in public places.

Can my parents continue to come over to my place to care for my children, or can I continue to send my children to their place?

Yes, you can continue to do so. For families who require childcare support, grandparents may go over to help, but do keep to the cap of 2 visitors per household per day. You can also send your children to their grandparents’ place, without worrying about the visitor cap.

Some have asked about the enforcement of this rule. It does not apply to members of the same household.

Enforcement officers will exercise judgement and flexibility. But we will not hesitate to take firm actions against the egregious offenders, such as refusing to wear a mask in public and challenging our Safe Distancing Ambassadors, who perform an important public service.

You can also refer to the infographic below for more information on the Phase 2 measures.

H/T: Top featured image via Ong Ye Kung Facebook page.