Singapore’s Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) announced on 15 June 2020 that Singapore will move into Phase Two after 18 June 2020, 2359 hours. You may refer to the relevant advisories below:
- Moving into Phase Two of Re-opening (Ministry of Health)
- List of Permitted Services and corresponding SSIC codes (GoBusiness portal)
- Requirements for Safe Management Measures at the workplace (Ministry of Manpower)
IHRP continues to advocate that businesses should exercise caution and continue with work-from-home (WFH) arrangements as the default. This will keep our workplaces safe and workers protected from any rise in new community cases, as more activities and interactions increase.
Employers should work with their HR departments and/or the Safe Management Officers (SMO) to ensure Safe Management Measures (SMM) are put in place at the workplace. They should refer to Annex B of Ministry of Manpower advisory, Requirements for Safe Management Measures at the workplace, for a checklist of SMM that should be in place for resumption of business activities. Important guidelines such as no social gatherings between employees, 1 metre safe distance and limiting face-to-face meetings to shorter durations and no more than five people at a time, must still be adhered to. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that sufficient face masks are provided for all employees, since face masks must be worn at all times in the office and during the employee’s commute. Do note that specific sectors may require additional SMM, so please check the Go Business portal for your sector-specific requirements.
MOM will continue to conduct site inspections. If businesses are found to lapse in SMM, they will be ordered to cease operations. The 15 June Straits Times article reports that seven workplaces were ordered to cease operations and fined for failing to adhere to SMM. We strongly urge organisations to comply with the stipulated directive and continue to play their part to keep Singapore safe. HR Professionals may use this statement to further reinforce the safe management principles and advise their organisations on resuming on-site operations safely.
More information regarding additional responsibilities to bring work pass holders and their dependents into Singapore have also been updated – you may refer to the latest information here.
IHRP will continue to support the community by posting regular updates on our COVID resources webpage and on IHRP-Connect (for IHRP Certified Professionals). Do check-out the latest resources, which have been curated on the respective sites.
The IHRP Team