Media Release
Vaccination-Differentiated Safe Management Measures at Libraries and Archives from 1 December 2021
Singapore, 23 November 2021 – Vaccination-Differentiated Safe Management Measures (VDS) will be implemented at our libraries and archives (27 public libraries, the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore) from Wednesday, 1 December 2021. This is in line with the latest announcement by the Government on the expansion of VDS to more venues.
2 The following 5 categories of people will be allowed to enter our facilities from 1 December 2021:
i. Individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19
ii.Individuals who have recovered from COVID-19
iii. Individuals who are medically ineligible for COVID-19 vaccines
iv. Children aged 12 years and below
v. Unvaccinated individuals with valid Pre-Event Testing (PET) showing a negative test result (between 1 December to 31 December 2021)
3 From 1 January 2022, only the first 4 categories of people listed above will be able to access our facilities, as the concession for unvaccinated individuals with valid PET will be removed by the Ministry of Health (MOH). Unvaccinated individuals will still be able to return physical library materials and collect their reservations at standalone and regional libraries as the bookdrops and reservation lockers are located outside the libraries and are accessible without entry.
4 Group sizes for physical programmes, including programmes for seniors and children, MOLLY services, and guided tours for exhibitions and the Gallery@Former Ford Factory will also be increased following further easing of the community Safe Management Measures with immediate effect. The overall group size of each programme is subject to the operating capacity of the venue and safe management measures such as safe distancing of at least one metre between individuals and groups. Patrons can check NLB’s GoLibrary (https://go.gov.sg/golibrary) for updates on our programmes.
5 There will be no change to dwell time limits, which will continue on weekends to manage capacity. Patrons can visit the regional libraries (in Jurong, Tampines and Woodlands), National Library, Study Lounge at Level 5 of the National Library Building, and the National Archives of Singapore for up to 3 hours, and up to 2 hours in all other public libraries. The dwell time will remain as 1 hour at the Former Ford Factory. During weekends, patrons will be required to make advance online bookings at https://go.gov.sg/library-visit-booking for their preferred slots. They can also book for up to 5 persons per slot for their visits to public libraries. Patrons can check https://go.gov.sg/library-visit-crowd or the NLB mobile app (https://mobileapp.nlb.gov.sg) for real-time crowd capacity in the libraries and archives before visiting.
6 The audience capacity for Asian Film Archive’s public screenings at Oldham Theatre level 3, National Archives of Singapore building will continue to be 66 persons for the theatre and the atrium. Similar to other cinemas, Vaccination-Differentiated Safe Management Measures were implemented at Oldham Theatre with effect from 3 November 2021. This is in line with Infocomm Media Development Authority’s mandatory Safe Management Measures for cinemas. Safe distancing measures will continue for seating in the theatre and to limit intermingling between groups. Digital programmes will continue to be available. More information can be found at https://www.asianfilmarchive.org.
7 Patrons who visit our facilities must wear their masks at all times and adhere to the capacity limits in our facilities. Please refer to the Annex for details on the services available at our facilities.