Home-based food businesses can resume functions from May 12 with strict measures in place

Home-based food businesses will be permitted to resume businesses from May 12, as part of the Government's efforts to little by little ease "circuit breaker" measures.

These businesses will, however, need to follow safe management measures such as for example ensuring contactless delivery and collection of orders. Collection should be by appointment only, and the timing ought to be spread out, said the Ministry of the surroundings and Water Resources (MEWR) on Saturday (May 2).

Payment must be created by cashless methods, and only members of the same household could work in the home-based food businesses.

"The measures are necessary to limit interaction between sellers, delivery personnel and customers. This can help minimise the risks of COVID-19 transmission," said the ministry. 

Home-based private dining services are still not allowed.

It has been nearly fourteen days since Singapore tightened its circuit breaker measures, which included trimming the list of essential services. Beneath the stricter rules, home-based food businesses were not permitted to operate, sparking concern among some home bakers who depend on such businesses for income, along with those that had received an increase in orders before Hari Raya celebrations later this month.

An online petition on Change.org contacting the authorities to allow home-based food businesses to use received more than 71,000 signatures by May 2. 

Amid questions over why contactless deliveries weren't allowed, local actress-influencer Ateeqah Mazlan also brought the problem to the fore after sharing a Facebook video of her interactions with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Housing and Development Board, clarifying the regulations.

 

In a Facebook post on Apr 27, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said it had been alarming that some were trying to “incite” home-based business operators into making exceptions for them.

Describing their actions as “irresponsible”, Mr Masagos said the operators of such businesses risked “being infected or learning to be a cluster of COVID-19 cases” if indeed they continued business as usual, especially with increasing orders leading up to Hari Raya. 

“Let us be patient and make necessary adjustments with regard to our larger good,” he wrote at that time. 

EASING RESTRICTIONS BEFORE HARI RAYA

Some home bakers had hoped that restrictions will be eased before Hari Raya, especially after Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said throughout a press conference on Apr 27 that the rules could possibly be relaxed if the amount of COVID-19 cases within the neighborhood community came down. 

President Halimah Yacob also said on May 1 that she was pumped up about buying cookies from home-based businesses once restrictions ease.

She noted that home-based food companies are an important source of income for some. 

"HBB (home-based businesses) are predominantly run by women, usually with caregiving tasks and is an essential income source for them," Mdm Halimah wrote on Facebook. 

"Although they bake over summer and winter, it is during Ramadan that they can earn the most to cover their own Hari Raya expenses and keep some for other needs.

"During these very difficult times, the income that the HBB earn is a lot more critical as some have spouses who've lost their jobs or whose income has been slashed because of COVID-19."

She added: "I anticipate your cookies. But please be sure you adhere to the circuit breaker rules which is meant to keep everyone safe from COVID-19."

"NOT OUT FROM THE WOODS"

Following Government's announcement that home-based food businesses will be permitted to resume procedures from May 12, Mr Masagos cautioned that it's important these businesses comply with the guidelines and safe management measures. 

"These include avoiding any form of gathering in the house with persons not from the same household. This is part of our collective vigilance against COVID-19, to avoid the forming of new clusters," he wrote on Facebook, noting that while Singapore is making good progress in the fight the coronavirus, it is "not out of the woods yet".

"I understand that it's been a challenging time for most home-based food businesses. Many thanks for understanding why it had been necessary to tighten circuit breaker measures," he added.