Singapore: Fully vaccinated seniors aged 60 and above can expect to resume some courses and activities in 21 community clubs and comprehensive community centers from November 1st.
These include paper cutting, line dance, chair yoga, qigong, Chaozhou opera, movies and tour guides.
The agency stated in a media release on Friday (October 29) that this is part of the People’s Association (PA) pilot program, which aims to provide elderly residents with “a safe environment to stay healthy and active, and to rebuild social bonds. “.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, physical education classes have been suspended, and many PA’s life skills and lifestyle courses have been transferred online.
However, PA pointed out that this affects the daily lives of older people because some people find it difficult to be confined at home.
“The elderly also shared with our employees and volunteers that staying at home became more and more lonely. They hope to resume social activities as soon as possible so that they can reconnect with their friends and maintain their mental health and well-being,” PA said.
PA stated that the list of plans to be restored is not exhaustive.
“These courses and activities do not need to share common equipment, thereby reducing the risk of spreading the virus through common touch points,” it added.
Seniors who have recovered from COVID-19 will also be allowed to participate in these programs.
Indoor mask-off classes will be held in groups of two, with up to 30 people in a session.
For outdoor classes and indoor mask-on classes, up to 50 people can be in attendance, in groups of two.
“For mask-off activities such as exercises and/or those with movement between locations, for example walking tours, seniors must declare a negative antigen rapid test result before they can participate,” said the PA.
There must be at least 2m distancing between individuals for exercises and 3m between groups.
“PA will deploy its staff and grassroots leaders, who are fully vaccinated, or COVID-19 recovered, during these selected activities and classes to ensure strict adherence to the safe management measures,” said the agency.
Indoor mask-off activities such as singing, which are considered high-risk activities, will not resume. The same goes for classes with common equipment such as karaoke, mahjong and chess.
Those who are unvaccinated will not be able to take part in the activities, even with negative pre-event testing results.
The programmes will also not be open to younger groups of people, to prevent the risk of seniors getting infected, said the PA.
It added that it will monitor the participation rate as well as the COVID-19 situation before deciding if it will expand the initiative to include more activities or extend it to other CCs or community spaces.
