SINGAPORE: The Government strengthened its measures against COVID-19 on Friday (Apr 3) amid concerns of escalating infections, including closing all workplaces for a month except for those offering essential services, including the sale of health and food items.

The following are operating guidelines for F&B outlets, food retailers and food suppliers in Singapore from Apr 7 to May 4:

FOOD AND BEVERAGE OUTLETS

F&B outlets including restaurants, hawker centres, coffee shops and food courts will be allowed to remain open. However, they are required to adhere to safe distancing measures such as ensuring that patrons are standing or seated 1m apart from each other.

Customers are no longer allowed to dine at these places. They can only order their food for takeaway, to be eaten at home. They may also opt to order food to be delivered to their homes, including via third-party delivery platforms. 

READ: 65 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, including 17 unlinked cases

READ: PM Lee addresses the nation on COVID-19 situation: In a glance

At a press conference held by the multi-ministry COVID-19 task force on Friday, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing asked that Singaporeans bring their own clean containers to dabao food “to help our food establishments conserve their packaging materials … to be more environmentally sustainable”. 

In a separate press release, the Ministry for Trade and Industry added that customers who enter restaurants to order takeaway food should not consume any food or drinks on the restaurant premises. 

READ: Singapore makes “decisive move” to close most workplaces and impose full home-based learning, says PM Lee

READ: Essential businesses will stay open even as most workplaces are to close from next Tuesday

The National Environment Agency (NEA) also issued a media release on Friday evening, reiterating that “there should be no consumption of food or drinks at the dining areas within the hawker centres during this period”. 

“When taking-out, patrons are encouraged to bring your own container to reduce the use of disposable packaging and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

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“When queuing at the stalls or waiting for their takeaway orders, patrons and visitors should maintain a 1m separation from any persons in the hawker centre, and follow floor queue markings in front of the hawker stalls where available,” said NEA. 

There will be notices put up at the hawker centres to guide patrons on these restrictions, said the agency, adding that SG Clean ambassadors and volunteers will also be deployed. 

FOOD SUPPLIERS

Food suppliers include production facilities making food and ingredients, manufacturing facilities, food processing companies, abattoirs or slaughterhouses, caterers, importers and traders, as well as food logistics venues such as cold stores and warehouses.  

Such businesses may remain open during this period. 

FOOD RETAIL

Convenience stores, supermarkets, grocery and fruit stores, as well as wet and wholesale markets, will also be allowed to remain open. 

Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing stressed during the press conference that there was no need for people to rush to the supermarkets to stock up. 

READ: In full: PM Lee’s address on enhanced measures to deal with COVID-19 situation in Singapore

READ: ‘Right time’ to close schools now, says Education Minister Ong Ye Kung

“Our supply lines and our supply chains are intact at this moment and will continue to function smoothly. There is no need to rush to the supermarkets to stock up as this will only cause disruption to our logistics system,” said Mr Chan.

“We can continue to purchase our essentials and groceries as usual during this period. The supermarkets will continue to operate at their usual hours. Please purchase responsibly and consider those more vulnerable amongst us.”

Earlier on Friday, FairPrice group chief executive officer Seah Kian Peng reminded shoppers that all FairPrice outlets would remain open “come what may” and urged them to remain patient. 

This came as FairPrice stores reported seeing “more people at our stores and also increased buying (on Friday)”. 

NEA also said members of the public should continue to purchase their fresh produce, groceries and household items “in a responsible manner by purchasing only what they and their family require”. 

READ: FairPrice stores will remain open “come what may”, no need to rush and buy supplies – CEO

“There is enough fresh food supply and the supermarkets also remain open during this period so there is no need to over-buy or hoard,” said the agency.

NEA also reiterated on Friday its call for members of the public to visit markets on weekdays where possible, to avoid crowds. “A weekday visit will also be more efficient and pleasant as the crowd is at least 30 per cent less than weekends. If patrons must visit markets during the weekends, they should consider going early since stalls open as early as 5am and avoid the usual peak period between 7.30am and 10am.”

READ: Government will no longer discourage people from wearing face masks, reusable masks to be distributed

READ: Most workplaces to close for one month from Apr 7 to curb spread of COVID-19

Vulnerable persons such as the elderly and children should avoid visiting the markets on weekends, it added. 

Earlier this week, NEA announced it would commence a crowd management trial at the Serangoon Garden Market on Saturday, looking at how entry and exit points can be controlled. The agency will evaluate the effectiveness of the trial and monitor feedback before deciding if this trial would be extended to other markets. 

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SINGAPORE: Tender-hearted nurses that took care of his leukaemia-striken daughter, his mum and his father-in-law. A childhood dream to join the medical field.

It all made sense when the opportune time came for Joshua Liew to join the profession he so admired. 

The 50-year-old is one of 22 in a pioneering batch of mid-career switchers who enrolled last August in the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies.

The programme is part of Workforce Singapore’s (WSG) nursing Professional Conversion Programmes (PCP), which 1,300 mid-career locals have participated in since 2003. 

A former lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic’s Centre for Character & Leadership Education, Mr Liew made the transition when he was helping his daughter, Ophelia, research her career prospects as a nurse.

He chanced upon the PCP programme, and having fostered that lifelong medical aspiration of his by volunteering with the Red Cross and getting trained in first aid, decided to take it a step further. 

Now both Mr Liew and his daughter are first-year nursing students at their respective schools, NUS and Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

Making a mid-career switch is an increasingly popular trend, using WSG’s figures as a proxy. In 2016, there were about 1,300 PCP placements. In 2019, the number rose to almost 4,500.

​​​​​​​Within the pool, the proportion of middle-aged participants has remained significant. According to the agency, about one in three participants every year are aged 40 and above. The most popular sectors among those seeking a second career are banking, technology and healthcare, human resource experts said. 

They explained that these are high-growth areas where vacancies and job satisfaction can be found – the two main reasons why individuals pursue a career transition in the first place. 

“The motivations for career switching can be generalised into voluntarily and involuntary reasons,” said Avodah People Solutions’ career coach Gerald Tan. Technological disruptions has caused job displacements, while others are “disgruntle(d) with the status quo.”

“Their motivation is fuelled not by money but by a desire to find purpose and satisfaction in what they do,” he said.

READ: Budget 2020: More support for transformation of workforce, including SkillsFuture top-ups

TURNED OFF BY PAY CUT, FEAR OF FAILURE

But not everyone is able to accept the demands that come with a mid-career switch.

WSG did not reveal how many people drop out of the PCPs, but said: “individuals may have dropped out of the PCP training as part of the normal staff attrition at their companies”. 

“There is a lack of confidence (and) fear of failure… in terms of whether they are able to do the job,” said Lim Chai Leng, a senior director at recruitment agency Randstad Singapore which specialises in banking and financial services. 

“A career switcher often needs to start from the bottom, taking large pay cuts,” added Mr Tan. “If they are switching from a supervisory and high-earning role, it may be a bit of a shock for them.”

When Mr Liew made the jump to go back to school, his salary dropped by three-quarters, he said.

Fortunately, his family was supportive, aware of his longtime ambitions. After working the sums out with him, Mr Liew’s wife gave the go-ahead. 

Going back to school was another challenge Mr Liew had to overcome, given that his age makes it harder to retain what he learns. His studies require a lot of memory work but learning from lecturers who shared their real-life encounters “make the subject interesting”. Having clinical attachments right after each semester ends keeps the knowledge fresh as well.

READ: Commentary: What you need to know about Career Mobility

Likewise, when Steven Hoon shut his business down and joined software company Workato in October 2018 under a PCP, he took a 50 per cent pay cut. 

The 42-year-old knew it was worth it, however. His business selling safety glass components was in a sunset industry, and returning to the tech sector – he used to be a programmer – seemed like the right move, given the growth prospects of the industry. 

Beyond the new tech skills he had to pick up, there were other aspects of a mid-career switch he had to mentally prepare himself for: A younger boss, colleagues nearly half his age and a new work culture. 

He reports to a managing director who is 32. His colleagues “talk about buying a HDB, BGR (boy-girl relationship) issues”, which are issues he has left behind with, the father of three said. “We are in a different phase of life”.

Then there are late-night meetings that take place any time between 10pm and 4am sometimes. Luckily, raising three kids has conditioned him to a sleep-deprived world, he joked. 

But when it comes to whether he finds it easy to respect his colleagues, Mr Hoon said age is not an issue at all. 

“Age in a startup is not a measure of someone’s experience,” he said. “They are young, but they also have a lot of work experience.”

LEVERAGING ON THEIR WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE

For those looking to join a different industry, experts say that beyond upskilling themselves, they should get comfortable networking. 

“Go out and talk to people,” said Randstad’s Ms Lim. “Attend events so that you… have a better understanding of what you want to be part of and what you can bring to the table.”

Build a portfolio by attending workshops and volunteering in projects, added Mr Tan. 

“Don’t start thinking about career changes only when you are unemployed,” he said. 

READ: More support for manufacturing firms looking to train PMETs as sector transforms

“Unemployment is a highly stressful transition and there will be preoccupation and pressure with securing a new job quickly to restore your livelihood.”

The mid-career switchers themselves believe that they bring a set of soft skills, such as the ability to manage others, or communicate with empathy, that their younger peers appreciate.

Mr Liew said that he noticed while on his attachment that sometimes he is able to apply his skills as a trained counsellor – he was also a student counsellor at Temasek Polytechnic – to his role as a nurse.

He knows what questions to ask, and shares about the multiple instances he was his family member’s caregiver. This helps the patients and their family members to open up about their pain and suffering.

READ: New fully sponsored nursing degree programme for mid-career Singaporeans

“I would ask them to describe their feelings and share about their family member,” he said. “I would also ask what I can do to make it more comfortable for them.”

As to whether he wished he had made the leap earlier, the former A*STAR researcher and infocomm technology lecturer said no. 

“All the skills that I picked up along the way (in my life) has given me this toolkit that I can use now as a nurse,” he said. 

“Once I go into nursing, I can be a nurse manager, I can be a nurse clinician, or I can even be a nurse educator.”

Except now, he is “finally doing what I want to do.”

SINGAPORE: There may be queues and delays at Serangoon Garden Market this weekend during the morning peak hour, as the National Environment Agency (NEA) starts a trial to study how crowd management can be conducted in a market setting.  

In a media release on Thursday (Apr 2), NEA said it will look into how the entry and exit points of the market can be controlled to avoid overcrowding at the market, amid the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The agency noted that there are still “substantial crowds” at markets on weekends. 

The announcement of the trial comes a day after NEA said that 83 markets would implement queue markings to help customers keep a safe distance from each other to curb further spread of COVID-19. 

As of Thursday, 16 markets have rolled out the floor markings, said NEA. 

READ: Queue markings at markets part of new COVID-19 safe distancing measures – NEA

“With the trial to limit the number of patrons entering markets, there may be queues and delays at Serangoon Garden Market this weekend, especially during the peak period of 7.30am to 10am,” said NEA.

“We seek patrons’ understanding and cooperation with our ground officers in order to keep the visit experience for all patrons pleasant and safe.”

Starting this weekend, NEA will also deploy SG Clean ambassadors and volunteers to its hawker centres to guide patrons on maintaining safe distancing. 

Safe distancing measures at public places including hawker centres went into effect on Wednesday. These include alternate seats at cooked food sections of all hawker centres and floor queue markings at 1,368 popular cooked food stalls. 

“While adherence to these measures has improved to about 60 per cent, more patrons need to come onboard, especially at our markets which still see substantial crowds on the weekends,” said NEA. 

READ: Singapore reports 4th death from COVID-19, a 68-year-old Indonesian national

“As a community, we need to improve the adherence rate of the safe distancing measures to safeguard the safety of our hawkers and patrons at our hawker centres,” the agency added. 

NEA also encouraged members of the public to visit markets on weekdays instead.

“As there are significant crowds at our markets during the weekends, members of the public are encouraged to visit on weekdays, when the footfall is at least 30 per cent less as compared to the weekends,” it said. 

“Avoid visiting the markets only during the weekends, especially between 7.30am and 10am when there are usually bigger crowds. Go early if you must on weekends as stalls open as early as 5am,” it added. 

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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SINGAPORE: A spray, described as a self-disinfecting coating, has been applied to buttons in HDB lifts in Singapore, as a safeguard against viruses, bacteria and fungi.  

Over the past two weeks, Singapore’s town councils have coated 1.5 million lift buttons inside 26,000 HDB lifts, as well as at lift lobbies. 

A total of 650 litres of the coating, named sdst, was donated to all 16 town councils by Changi Foundation, Changi Airport Group’s (CAG) philanthropic arm.

In a media release on Thursday (Apr 2), Changi Foundation said the coating is eco-friendly, safe on human skin, and lasts for three months.

“The sdst coating is effective in two ways. Firstly, it has a needle-like structure that ruptures the outer membrane of viruses, bacteria and fungi, thereby reducing their ability to infect,” said CAG. 

“Secondly, proprietary bonding agents in the coating allow it to adhere tightly to surfaces at a molecular level, such that even with repeated scrubbing and cleaning, the coating does not leach and remains effective for as long as three months.”

READ: Singapore reports 4th death from COVID-19, a 68-year-old Indonesian national

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CAG said it conducted trials and found the coating to be effective in providing longer-lasting protection on frequently touched surfaces.

In February, CAG coated frequently-touched surfaces such as lift buttons, door handles, touch screens and trolley handles in Changi Airport with sdst. 

“We have stepped up efforts to clean and disinfect our blocks so as to reduce bacteria and virus transmission in view of [the] COVID-19 situation,” said Dr Teo Ho Pin, coordinating chairman of PAP Town Councils.

“The use of this new protective self-disinfecting coating on our lift buttons will further reduce bacteria and virus transmission.”

However, Dr Teo said that hard objects may scrape the coating off, and sought cooperation from members of the public to not to press the buttons with pointed objects, such as keys.

The donation by the Changi Foundation follows Temasek Foundation’s distribution of 500ml of hand sanitiser to every Singapore household. 

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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SINGAPORE: The dogs at breeding facility The Animal Lodge have not been abandoned, said the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) on Thursday (Apr 2), after messages circulating on WhatsApp claimed that 120 dogs were found at an abandoned dog farm.

“We received feedback that dogs in a dog breeding facility were allegedly abandoned and commenced investigations immediately,” said group director of AVS Jessica Kwok in response to CNA’s queries. 

The dogs and the facility in question have not been abandoned, she added.

“The owner is in the process of winding down the business and has been working with a veterinary clinic to care for and rehome the dogs,” said Ms Kwok.

“AVS will continue to work with the owner to ensure that the welfare of the dogs is taken care of.” 

According to a message circulating on WhatsApp on Wednesday and Thursday, a vet had found an abandoned dog farm in Yio Chu Kang with 120 puppies and adult dogs. 

“The 120 dogs are going to the vet friend now first but he can’t house them all,” the message read. It also called for people to adopt or foster the dogs. 

Those who reached out to the person who was listed as a point of contact in the circulated message later received an update to thank them for the response, inviting them to follow Stars Veterinary Clinic’s official Facebook page for more information on the dogs. 

When CNA visited the clinic on Thursday afternoon, staff declined to comment on the matter and directed queries to the clinic’s management. 

In a Facebook post on Wednesday evening, Stars Veterinary Clinic said it would be posting pictures of the dogs that are up for fostering and adoption on its page. 

“However the fostering/adoption process will only be applicable when the dogs are ready. Also, replies will not be immediate so please be patient,” the post read, adding that phone calls, messages or drop in visits at the clinic will not be entertained.

In her statement, AVS’ Ms Kwok urged the public to refrain from speculation while investigations are ongoing. She said members of the public who have information on the case can alert AVS.

“As with all investigations, all forms of evidence are critical to the process and photographic and/or video-graphic evidence provided by the public will help,” she added.