Church halls islandwide will soon be filled with the sounds of singing from its members again, as authorities further lift restrictions on religious activities.

From next Monday (April 5), after the Holy Week of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, worshippers in the congregation can sing with their masks on during services, announced the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) today (March 31).  

However, worshippers and churches have to keep to the following safe management measures:  

1) Wear masks at all times, including when singing. 

2) Keep the duration of masked singing to no more than a total of 30 minutes in a single worship service.

3) Good ventilation is to be maintained (for example, to have open doors and windows, use existing air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems to remove accumulated lingering droplets). 

4) Wipe-down must be conducted between worship services. 

5) As a best practice, churches are encouraged to implement a greater safe distance of 2 metres between the groups of up to 8 worshippers, if they are singing. 

Up to 30 people on stage also able to sing 

From April 5, worship leaders or teams on stage will also be able to sing with their masks on, according to MCCY.  

Previously, up to 30 people were allowed to support or conduct live performance elements. 

Out of this, 10 people were allowed to unmask at any given time, of which up to five people can be unmasked for singing or performing their duties. 

From April 5, up to 30 people will be able to sing live on stage, as long as they are wearing masks.  

There must be at least a 3-metre setback between persons involved in the conduct of live performance elements and worshippers. 

These changes in guidelines come as Singapore moves further into Phase 3 of its reopening.  

In June last year, MCCY announced that religious services of up to 50 people will be able to resume with stringent safe measures in place in Phase 2 of the nation’s reopening. However, no singing was allowed as it is considered a higher risk activity; it could potentially release a large amount of droplets. Live performances were also not allowed in Phase 2.  

During Phase 3, which started from Dec 28 last year, all churches and other religious organisations were allowed a maximum capacity of 250 in attendance – up from the previous 100.  

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