MOM updates advisory on workplace safe management measures requirements: Concession for unvaccinated employees to return to workplace via negative PET removed, work-related events with 50-1000 participants permitted

27 January 2022

From 15 January 2022, workers who are not fully vaccinated are not to enter the workplace, even with a negative Pre-Event Test (“PET”) result. The Ministry of Manpower (“MOM”) updated the advisory on Requirements for Safe Management Measures at the Workplace (“Advisory) on 27 December 2021 to provide for this.

The Advisory was further updated on 1 and 10 January 2022 to provide that from 3 January 2022, work-related events with 51-1000 participants are permitted, subject to the requirements set out in the Advisory.

Key amendments to the Advisory are set out below.

Up to 50% of employees who are able to work from home can be at the workplace from 1 January 2022; concession for unvaccinated employees to return to workplace via negative PET removed from 15 January 2022

From 1 January 2022, up to 50% of employees who are able to work from home can be at the workplace at any point in time, e.g. a company with 100 employees who can work from home can have up to 50 of these employees at the workplace at any point in time.

From 15 January 2022, only employees who are fully vaccinated, certified to be medically ineligible, or who have recovered from Covid-19 within 180 days, can return to the workplace. The concession for employees who are not fully vaccinated to enter the workplace with a negative PET result has been removed. A grace period until 31 January 2022 has been granted for partially vaccinated workers.

Employers can refer to the Updated Advisory on Covid-19 Vaccination at the Workplace for more details on work arrangements for unvaccinated employees. Please also read our article titled “Updated Covid-19 advisories: Vaccination at the workplace and work and leave arrangements for Covid-19 positive employees who are mildly symptomatic or physically well” for more information.

Work-related events with 51-1000 participants are permitted

From 3 January 2022, work-related events with 51-1000 participants are permitted, subject to the following requirements:

  • The event organiser must notify the authorities at least five days before the event using this form.
  • Attendees must maintain at least one metre safe distance between one another. Attendees must be in zones of up to 100 persons per zone, with two metres between zones.
  • There must be no mask-off activities during the event, such as the consumption of food and beverage.
  • The event must be static, with participants predominantly seated or standing in a fixed position (e.g. meetings, conferences, award ceremonies).
  • All attendees must be subject to Vaccination-Differentiated Safe Management Measures (VDS), i.e. every attendee must be fully vaccinated, recovered from Covid-19 within the past 180 days, or medically ineligible for vaccines under the National Vaccination Programme.

Non-compliance with these Safe Management Measures, including the failure to notify, will be met with firm action.

More information on the increased capacity for work-related events is set out in a press release issued by MOM on 1 January 2022 entitled “Businesses may proceed with larger work-related events after notifying authorities”.

Reference materials

The following materials are available on the MOM website www.mom.gov.sg: