Improving Safe Management Measures in KTV Bars and Nightlife Establishments
Ministry of Sustainability and the EnvironmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns an inquiry by Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong regarding improvements to safe management measures (SMMs) for KTV bars and pivoted nightlife establishments and their impact on businesses without hostesses. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien replied that operators must implement additional SMMs and obtain a conditional permit from MTI to resume operations. These measures include installing CCTVs, removing entertainment equipment like karaoke machines from sight, and ensuring business activities are visible from outside the premises to facilitate enforcement and reduce health risks. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien highlighted that while these requirements are necessary to prevent clusters, they are designed to minimize the impact on genuine food and beverage operators. Agencies will engage operators on these follow-ups, and the government will continue working with the Singapore Nightlife Business Association to provide support to the industry during this transition.
Transcript
33 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Government will be implementing changes to improve safe management measures in KTV bars and similar nightlife establishments; (b) if so, what are these; and (c) whether the Government will ensure that such measures will not unfairly affect other nightlife establishments whose businesses are substantially different from bars with hostesses.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Operators of pivoted nightlife establishments who wish to reopen after the two-week suspension period will be required to implement additional Safe Management Measures (SMMs), on top of existing ones, to further reduce public health risks and facilitate enforcement checks. They must then pass inspections and receive a conditional permit from MTI before they can resume operations.
We have announced the requirements recently and MTI, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and other relevant enforcement agencies will be engaging operators on the follow-ups. The additional SMMs include installing CCTVs to monitor operations, removing public entertainment equipment like karaoke machines and pool tables from sight, and ensuring that the business activities are visible from outside the business premises. These SMMs will be included in MTI’s conditional permits to reopen. Operators with queries may email the MTI helpdesk at covid_gobusiness@mti.gov.sg to find out more.
While these SMMs may be onerous for some operators, they have been designed such that genuine F&B operators are not overly affected. A tightening is necessary so as to prevent another cluster in pivoted nightlife establishments. MTI and Enterprise Singapore will continue to work closely with the Singapore Nightlife Business Association and the various regulatory agencies to provide support to the nightlife industry.