PART 2
SAFE MANAGEMENT MEASURES
FOR MAJOR BUSINESS EVENTS
[S 622/2021 wef 19/08/2021]
Approval needed for major business events
10.  An organiser of a business event to which these Regulations apply, must not intentionally or negligently cause or allow the business event to take place at a venue without the prior approval of the approving authority.
Requirements for occupier of business event venue
11.—(1)  An occupier of a venue where a business event takes place, or is to take place, must take all reasonably practicable measures —
(a)to comply with the following during the crowd management period of the business event and with respect to the venue where the business event takes place or is to take place:
(i)the general physical distancing requirement;
(ii)the contact tracing requirement;
(iii)the basic entry controls;
(iv)the participant capacity requirement;
(v)the applicable segregation requirement;
(vi)the cleaning requirement;
(b)to minimise any physical interaction during the crowd management period of the business event, between any participant at the business event and any non‑participant within the venue where the business event takes place or is to take place;
(c)to ensure that every participant during the crowd management period of the business event that is not a trade show is at all times at least one metre away from any other individual in that participants’ area;
(d)to ensure that during the crowd management period of the business event —
(i)no food or drink is supplied or consumed at the participants’ area where the business event takes place or is to take place; and
(ii)no singing, no playing of a musical instrument and no other live performance is engaged in or provided by any one in the venue where the business event takes place or is to take place; and
(e)to ensure that every direction given under regulation 15(3) with respect to that business event is complied with during the crowd management period of the business event.
(2)  In addition to paragraph (1), an occupier of a venue where a business event takes place or is to take place must establish and maintain, during the crowd management period of the business event, enhanced entry controls with respect to the business event where —
(a)the venue is a restricted place within the meaning of the Infectious Diseases (Mass Gathering Testing for Coronavirus Disease 2019) Regulations 2021; and
(b)the approving authority gives a direction under regulation 15(3) requiring enhanced entry controls with respect to that business event.
(3)  However, paragraph (1)(d) does not apply to prevent the consumption of a drink in an emergency where the drink is necessary to preserve life or prevent injury or further injury.
Requirements for organiser of business event
12.—(1)  An organiser of a business event which is not a trade show must take all reasonably practicable measures —
(a)to ensure no audience participation during the crowd management period of the business event;
(b)to minimise any physical interaction during the crowd management period of the business event between —
(i)any participant of the business event whose principal purpose at the business event is to preside at, speak or otherwise take charge of proceedings in, or to regulate the number and length of, meetings, staged or conducted, or to be staged or conducted, at the business event; and
(ii)any other participant; and
(c)to ensure that every direction given under regulation 15(3) with respect to that business event is complied with during the crowd management period of the business event.
(2)  In paragraph (1), “audience participation”, for a business event that is not a trade show, does not include any of the following:
(a)applause or approval expressed by handclapping while seated and without any accompanying verbal exhortations, singing or whistling;
(b)seeking information during a formal part of the event dedicated to taking questions from participants in general;
(c)discussions solely among participants themselves during a formal part of the event dedicated to group discussions;
(d)a participant taking part at the business event by presiding at, speaking or otherwise taking charge of proceedings in, or regulating the number and length of, meetings, staged or conducted, or to be staged or conducted, at the business event and by being a participant otherwise.
(3)  In addition, an organiser of a business event must take all reasonably practicable measures to ensure that at all times during the crowd management period of the business event —
(a)every participant and non‑participant in the venue where the business event is taking place are each wearing a mask if the participant or non‑participant (as the case may be) is not authorised under any Control Order to not wear a mask or he or she does not have a reasonable excuse to be unmasked; and
(b)the number of individuals who are unmasked in the venue where the business event is taking place does not exceed the maximum number permissible under the COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) (Performances and Other Activities — Control Order) Regulations 2020 for individuals engaged in public speaking or who are performers in the live performance, if these elements are present during the business event.
Cooperating with occupier of business event venue
13.  Every participant present in a venue in which a business event is taking or is to take place must, during the crowd management period of the business event, cooperate with the occupier of that venue and the organiser of the business event to enable the occupier and organiser to comply with the respective requirements of the occupier and organiser under these Regulations in relation to the business event.
Mask wearing
14.—(1)  During the crowd management period of a business event taking place in a venue, every participant in the participants’ area and every non‑participant in the venue must not be unmasked where he or she has no reasonable excuse to be unmasked.
(2)  Paragraph (1) does not prevent an individual to be unmasked where he or she is authorised under any Control Order to not wear a mask or he or she has some other reasonable excuse to be unmasked.
Alternative arrangements
15.—(1)  The approving authority may approve a shorter crowd management period or waive (in whole or part) any requirement in regulation 4(1), 5, 6(1) or (2), 8(2)(b) or 11(1)(d) in respect of a particular business event only —
(a)on the application of the person who is the organiser of the business event or the occupier of the venue where the business event is taking place or both; and
(b)if the approving authority is personally satisfied that all of the matters in paragraph (2) apply.
[S 586/2021 wef 10/08/2021]
(2)  The matters the approving authority must be satisfied are as follows:
(a)the person who is the organiser of the business event or the occupier of the venue where the business event is taking place or both —
(i)have adequately identified the significant risks to the incidence and transmission of COVID‑19 in the community in Singapore associated with the matter applied to be approved or waived;
(ii)have established a plan on how to manage or control those risks; and
(iii)each has the relevant knowledge, competency, experience and suitable compliance record connected with safe management measures for business events of the same nature as the particular business event;
(b)there are requirements in other written law or there are other means that help minimise the public health risks associated with the matter to be approved or waived, besides the Main Control Order and these Regulations;
(c)the granting of the approval or waiver (as the case may be) is necessary or desirable to facilitate resumption of business or to avoid unnecessary restrictions on commerce having regard to the incidence and transmission of COVID‑19 in the community in Singapore when the application is made;
(d)the nature of the business event is suitable for the granting of the approval or waiver (as the case may be) despite the risk to public health;
(e)there are applicable international obligations or mercantile practice or customs for holding the event in a particular way.
(3)  Any approval or waiver by the approving authority of an application under paragraph (1) in respect of a particular business event may be accompanied by directions addressed to the person who is the organiser of the business event or the occupier of the venue where the business event is taking place or both, containing —
(a)variations of any requirements in these Regulations in relation to that particular business event, which may include more stringent requirements than in these Regulations;
(b)a requirement for enhanced entry controls to be established and maintained at the venue, during the crowd management period of the business event; or
(c)other measures in respect of that business event that satisfy the objectives and performance requirements in the Main Control Order and these Regulations for preventing, protecting against, delaying or otherwise controlling the incidence or transmission of COVID‑19 in Singapore, having regard to the nature of the business event (such as whether it is open to consumers or not),
so as to mitigate the significant risks to the incidence and transmission of COVID‑19 in the community in Singapore associated with the matter approved or waived.