Infectious Diseases (Workplace Measures to Prevent Spread of COVID-19) Regulations 2020

No. S 235

Infectious Diseases Act

(CHAPTER 137)

Infectious Diseases
(Workplace Measures to Prevent
Spread of COVID-19) Regulations 2020

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 73 of the Infectious Diseases Act, the Minister for Health makes the following Regulations:

Citation

1. These Regulations are the Infectious Diseases (Workplace Measures to Prevent Spread of COVID-19) Regulations 2020.

Definitions

2. In these Regulations —

“approved medical institution” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Employment Act (Cap. 91);

“collaborative workspace” means any premises the whole or part of which (including seats or meeting rooms) are let by the occupier of the premises to any person or persons primarily to enable an individual or individuals (whether self‑employed or employed or engaged by the same employer or principal or otherwise) to carry out tasks relating to their work;

“contractor”, “premises” and “principal” have the respective meanings given by section 4(1) of the Workplace Safety and Health Act (Cap. 354A);

“control period” means the period between 2 April 2020 and 30 April 2020 (both dates inclusive);

“COVID‑19” means the infectious disease known as Coronavirus Disease 2019;

“employee” has the meaning given by section 6 of the Workplace Safety and Health Act, but does not include any individual mentioned in paragraph 1 or 2 of the Sixth Schedule to that Act;

“employer” has the meaning given by section 6 of the Workplace Safety and Health Act;

“public service vehicle” means —

(a)	any vehicle described in the Second Schedule to the Road Traffic Act (Cap. 276); or
(b)	a train used as part of a rapid transit system the operation of which is licensed under the Rapid Transit Systems Act (Cap. 263A);

“specified symptom” means any of the following symptoms:

(a)	coughing;
(b)	sneezing;
(c)	breathlessness;
(d)	a runny nose;

“worker” —

(a)	in relation to an employer — means an employee of an employer; or
(b)	in relation to a principal — includes an employee of a contractor or subcontractor of the principal, where the contractor, subcontractor or employee (as the case may be) works under the direction of the principal as to the manner in which the work is carried out;

“workplace”, in relation to a worker, means any premises where the worker is at work or is to work, for the time being works, or customarily works, and includes a collaborative workspace, but does not include —

(a)	any premises of an approved medical institution for the reception, lodging, treatment or care of individuals who require medical treatment or suffer from any disease;
(b)	any premises exempted under paragraph 2 of the Workplace Safety and Health (Exemption) Order (Cap. 354A, O 1) or any domestic premises the occupier of which is exempted under paragraph 4 of that Order; or
(c)	any premises for the conduct of the proceedings of Parliament or the courts.

Application

3.—(1) Regulations 5(1)(d) and (2) and 7(1)(a) to (e) do not apply in relation to a workplace —

(a)	that is a public place; or
(b)	in which any public event is for the time being held.

(2) Regulations 5(1)(d) and (2) and 7(1)(a) to (f) do not apply in relation to a workplace that is a public service vehicle.

(3) In this regulation —

“event” includes a meeting or gathering of any nature;

“public event” means any event that is open to the public or a section of the public.

Employers and principals to implement telecommuting

4.—(1) For the purposes of preventing the spread of COVID‑19, every employer or principal must —

(a)	provide the facilities necessary for every worker of the employer or principal (as the case may be) to work in the worker’s place of residence in Singapore during the control period; and
(b)	direct every worker to work in the worker’s residence in Singapore during the control period,

unless it is not reasonably practicable to do so.

(2) A person who, without reasonable excuse, contravenes paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

Safe distancing measures by employers and principals

5.—(1) Every employer or principal must implement the following measures during the control period in respect of every worker of the employer or principal (as the case may be) at work in a workplace, or other individual at the workplace:

(a)	as far as reasonably practicable, workers are placed in 2 or more groups for the purpose of avoiding or minimising physical interaction between workers in different groups when at work in the workplace;
(b)	as far as reasonably practicable, workers who are to work in the workplace do not all arrive at and leave the workplace at the same time;
(c)	any worker who exhibits any specified symptom or is otherwise physically unwell is required to report, immediately upon the onset of the symptom or feeling physically unwell, to the employer or principal (as the case may be), either directly or indirectly through one or more other persons appointed by the employer or principal (as the case may be) for the purpose of receiving the report;
(d)	the employer or principal (as the case may be) takes reasonable steps to ensure that there is a distance of at least one metre between any 2 individuals in the workplace.

(2) Without limiting paragraph (1)(d), the employer or principal must take all reasonable steps during the control period —

(a)

where seating is provided to individuals (including at workers’ workstations and in meeting rooms) in the workplace —

(i)	in a case where the seating is not fixed to the floor of, or a wall or any other thing in, the workplace — to ensure that each seat is at least one metre away from any other seat at all times; or
(ii)	in any other case — to ensure that alternate seats are demarcated as seats not to be occupied;

(b)

where individuals may form a queue or remain in an area (including a pantry, waiting area or room, or an area with changing or sanitary facilities) in the workplace for any reason — to apply practices that ensure that every individual in the queue or area is at least one metre away from any other individual in the queue or area; and

(c)

where individuals (other than workers) enter the workplace for any reason (including to deliver or receive goods or services in the workplace) — to ensure that those individuals do not arrive at the workplace at the same time and that they do not remain in the workplace for a longer period than necessary.

(3) An employer or a principal must cancel or postpone every organised activity that involves interaction in person between the workers of the employer or principal (as the case may be) or between those workers and other individuals during the control period, except —

(a)	any activity that is critical to the operations of the employer’s or principal’s organisation;
(b)	any activity during which workers are provided professional or vocational training or are tested or certified for any professional or vocational purposes; or
(c)	any activity during which workers are provided education by an educational institution.

(4) A person who, without reasonable excuse, contravenes paragraph (1), (2) or (3) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

Communications by employers and principals

6.—(1) An employer or a principal must, as far as reasonably practicable —

(a)	communicate to all workers the arrangements, steps or other measures mentioned in regulations 4, 5 and 8(1) that apply to them; and
(b)	communicate to all individuals (other than workers) the steps mentioned in regulation 5(1)(d), (2) and (3) that apply to them.

Obligations of occupiers

7.—(1) An occupier of a workplace must take the following measures during the control period:

(a)

as far as reasonably practicable, allow natural ventilation of the workplace during working hours;

(b)

take the body temperature of every individual entering the workplace, in order to determine whether the individual is febrile and to visually ascertain whether the individual displays any specified symptom;

(c)

obtain and keep the contact particulars of every individual (other than a worker who ordinarily works in the workplace), before allowing the individual to enter the workplace, so as to facilitate contact tracing measures;

(d)

refuse entry to the workplace of any individual who is febrile or who exhibits any specified symptom, or who refuses to comply with any measure mentioned in sub‑paragraph (b) or (c);

(e)

implement the measures and take the reasonable steps mentioned in regulation 5(1)(d) and (2);

(f)

where any individual in the workplace is found by the occupier to be febrile or to display any specified symptom —

(i)	as far as reasonably practicable, provide the individual with a face mask and require the individual to wear the face mask;
(ii)	require the individual to immediately leave the workplace; and
(iii)	if the individual is not able to immediately leave the workplace, isolate the individual.

Workers and other individuals subject to movement control measure

8.—(1) An employer or a principal must not require or permit a worker who is subject to a movement control measure to enter the workplace during the control period.

(2) An occupier of a workplace must during the control period refuse entry into the workplace of an individual whom the occupier knows or has reason to believe is subject to a movement control measure.

(3) A person who, without reasonable excuse, contravenes paragraph (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

(4) For the purposes of this regulation, an individual is subject to a movement control measure for so long as the individual is required to not leave a place of accommodation because of —

(a)	an order made under regulation 3(1) of the Infectious Diseases (COVID‑19 — Stay Orders) Regulations 2020 (G.N. No. S 182/2020);
(b)	regulation 3(2) or 4(1) of the Infectious Diseases (COVID‑19 — Stay Orders) Regulations 2020; or
(c)	an order under section 15 of the Act.

Obligations of workers and other individuals

9.—(1) A worker or other individual who exhibits any specified symptom or is febrile must not enter any workplace.

(2) When a worker or other individual is required by an employer, a principal or an occupier to do or refrain from doing any thing in relation to any direction, arrangement, step or measure required to be implemented or taken by the employer, principal or occupier under regulation 4(1), 5(1) or (2) or 7(1)(d), (e) or (f), the worker or individual must comply as far as reasonably practicable.

(3) Any individual who, without reasonable excuse, contravenes paragraph (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

Made on 1 April 2020.

NG HOW YUE

Permanent Secretary
(Health Development),
Ministry of Health,
Singapore.

[AG/LEGIS/SL/137/2020/9 Vol. 1]

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