TL;DR – No special provisions for the Bloomberg delegates, they follow the same rules as wedding receptions.
As soon as the news went out with the headline that “Delegates at Bloomberg forum in S’pore can dine in groups of 5 at specific venues”, there was a public outcry at the unfairness.
You’ve also probably seen memes circulating online, at how fully vaccinated Singaporeans have to dine-in in groups of two, while the delegates are allowed to dine-in in groups of five.
There’s even a Reddit thread on this!
Is this really a case of doubles?
The short answer is no.
The protocols for the delegates are similar to existing arrangements for MICE events.
The Economic Development Board (EDB) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) clarified on 24 Oct that the protocols for the Bloomberg New Economy Forum are similar to the current arrangements for all MICE events and wedding receptions in Singapore where meals in groups of five are permitted within the designated event venue with safe distancing in place.
“In fact, vaccinated attendees at wedding receptions are exempt from pre-event testing, (whereas) participants at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum are not,” the agencies added.
Under Singapore’s current COVID-19 restrictions, up to 250 people can attend a wedding reception in group sizes of up to five if all are vaccinated.
Pre-event testing is not required for those who are fully vaccinated.