SINGAPORE - This past week, your inbox might have been inundated with restaurants announcing newly launched takeaway and delivery services.
The new phase two (heightened alert) curbs on dining in at food-and-beverage outlets have spurred business owners to roll out attractive deals swiftly.
Many are offering free islandwide delivery with minimum spending, sharp discounts for takeaway, one-for-one promotions and value bundles for bigger meal orders.
The Straits Times rounds up eight delicious deals to snap up while dining safely at home.
Famous Treasure
Get 50 per cent off selected signature dishes for orders made directly from Chinese restaurant Famous Treasure.
Highlights include traditional fish head curry (above, from $17.50 for half a head), fried pork rib glazed with plum sauce (from $14) and wok-fried prawn with chinchalok and lady s finger (from $16).
Keeping a safe distance: People hiking at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore. The Straits Times/ANN
Fewer people were out and about at parks, hawker centres and markets in the city-state on the first day of the new tightened Covid-19 restrictions.
Until June 13, people are allowed out only in groups of two, and dining in is prohibited.
When The Straits Times visited popular parks and nature reserves like East Coast Park, Singapore Botanic Gardens and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, regular park-goers said that the Sunday morning crowd had thinned out and people were generally abiding by the rules.
At Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, safe distancing ambassadors and National Parks Board staff were spotted monitoring the crowd.
The Straits Times ventured into Clementi Forest with plant experts from the National Parks Board (NParks) in search of two rare orchid species whose numbers have dwindled sharply following the recent influx of hikers into the forested area. NParks aims to nurture these two critically endangered plants at the Singapore Botanic Gardens to ensure their survival.
THE BIG STORY
Travel on compassionate grounds between Singapore and Malaysia will be allowed from May 17. But given the escalating Covid-19 situation in both countries, other arrangements such as an air travel bubble and short-term visits for business, as well as an in-person meeting in Singapore between top leaders, will be put on hold.