Statute Details
- Title: COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Extension of Prescribed Period) (No. 2) Order 2020
- Act Code: COVID19TMA2020-S953-2020
- Legislative Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 (Act 14 of 2020)
- Key Enabling Provision: Section 3(2) of the COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020
- SL Citation: SL 953/2020
- Date Made: 17 November 2020
- Status: Current version as at 27 March 2026 (per the legislation portal)
- Commencement Date: Not stated in the extract (Order is dated 17 November 2020; operative “prescribed period” extensions run from 20 November 2020)
- Core Mechanism: Extends the “prescribed period” for specified contract categories under Parts 1 and 2 of the COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020
What Is This Legislation About?
The COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) (Extension of Prescribed Period) (No. 2) Order 2020 (“the Order”) is a targeted legislative instrument that extends time limits—known in the parent statute as the “prescribed period”—for certain COVID‑19 temporary relief measures. In practical terms, it determines how long specific contractual and legal protections under the COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 remain available for affected parties.
Singapore’s COVID‑19 temporary measures legislation was designed to reduce the immediate economic and legal disruption caused by the pandemic. Many relief measures in the parent Act are time-bound: they apply only to events or contractual arrangements occurring within a defined window. As the pandemic evolved, the Government used subsidiary legislation to adjust those windows so that the relief remained aligned with real-world conditions.
This Order is the “No. 2” extension order, meaning it follows earlier extensions and is part of a continuing sequence of adjustments. It extends the prescribed period for Part 1 of the Act, and separately extends the prescribed period for particular categories of “scheduled contracts” under Part 2 of the Act. The categories are not uniform: different contract types receive different end dates, reflecting a calibrated approach to which sectors needed longer relief.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. Citation (Section 1)
Section 1 provides the formal title/citation of the Order: “COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) (Extension of Prescribed Period) (No. 2) Order 2020”. While this seems procedural, citation is important for practitioners when cross-referencing the Order with the parent Act and other extension orders.
2. Extension for Part 1 of the Act (Section 2)
Section 2 is the first substantive provision. It extends the “prescribed period” as it applies to Part 1 of the COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 by a period starting on 20 November 2020 and ending on 31 March 2021.
Although the extract does not reproduce Part 1 of the parent Act, the legal effect of Section 2 is clear: any relief mechanism in Part 1 that is triggered by the prescribed period will continue to apply for the extended window. For lawyers, the key task is to identify what Part 1 covers (for example, whether it relates to certain COVID‑19-related events, obligations, or procedural timelines) and then apply the extended dates to determine whether a given dispute or contractual performance falls within the protected timeframe.
3. Extension for Part 2—Scheduled Contracts (Section 3)
Section 3 is the heart of the Order. It extends the prescribed period for specified categories of scheduled contracts under Part 2 of the Act. Importantly, Section 3 sets out multiple sub-extensions with different end dates depending on the contract type.
(a) Event contracts and tourism-related contracts
Under Section 3(1), the prescribed period for the following scheduled contracts is extended from 20 November 2020 to 31 December 2020:
- an event contract
- a tourism‑related contract
This indicates that, as of late 2020, the legislature considered that relief for event and tourism arrangements required a shorter extension than some other categories.
(b) Hire-purchase/conditional sale and leases—manufacturing/production assets and commercial vehicles (with exclusions)
Section 3(2) provides two important features: (i) it extends the prescribed period for certain hire-purchase/conditional sale agreements and leases, and (ii) it includes specific exclusions that carve out certain financing arrangements.
The prescribed period for the following scheduled contracts is extended from 20 November 2020 to 31 January 2021:
- Hire‑purchase agreement or conditional sale agreement (as defined under the Hire‑Purchase Act (Cap. 125)) where the good hired/conditionally sold is:Exclusion: does not include an agreement entered into with a bank licensed under the Banking Act (Cap. 19) or a finance company licensed under the Finance Companies Act (Cap. 108).
- any plant, machinery or fixed asset located in Singapore, used for manufacturing, production or other business purposes; or
- a commercial vehicle
- Lease of:Exclusions: except
- any plant, machinery or fixed asset located in Singapore, used for manufacturing, production or other business purposes; or
- a commercial vehicle
- a private hire car as described in the Second Schedule to the Road Traffic Act (Cap. 276); and
- a taxi as described in the Second Schedule to the Road Traffic Act.
For practitioners, these exclusions are crucial. They mean that not all leases or financing arrangements involving vehicles or equipment are automatically covered. The relief is targeted to particular asset types and excludes certain regulated financial institutions (banks and finance companies) and certain categories of passenger transport vehicles (private hire cars and taxis). This affects both eligibility analysis and litigation strategy.
(c) Construction/supply contracts, performance bonds, and housing/commercial property sale arrangements
Section 3(3) extends the prescribed period from 20 November 2020 to 31 March 2021 for a broader set of scheduled contracts, including:
- a construction contract or supply contract
- a performance bond or equivalent granted pursuant to a construction contract or supply contract
- housing developer options given to intending purchasers for purchase of one or more units of housing accommodation
- housing developer sale and purchase agreements for one or more units of housing accommodation
- commercial developer options given to intending purchasers for purchase of one or more units of commercial property
- commercial developer sale and purchase agreements for one or more units of commercial property
This longer end date suggests that construction, supply, and property-related arrangements were expected to face longer disruption, or that the legislature wanted to ensure continuity of contractual relief for these sectors.
(d) Definitions by reference to the parent Act (Section 3(4))
Section 3(4) clarifies that terms such as “commercial developer”, “commercial property”, “commercial vehicle”, “housing accommodation”, “housing developer” and “unit” have the meanings given by paragraph 2 of the Schedule to the Act. This is a drafting technique that avoids duplication and ensures consistency across extension orders.
From a legal research perspective, this means you must consult the Schedule to the COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 to interpret these terms correctly. Misinterpretation of defined terms is a common source of errors in eligibility assessments.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Order is structured in a simple, functional way, reflecting its purpose as a time-extension instrument rather than a comprehensive reform statute. It contains:
- Enacting formula referencing the enabling power in section 3(2) of the COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020.
- Section 1 (Citation) identifying the Order.
- Section 2 (Extension for Part 1) extending the prescribed period for Part 1 of the parent Act to 31 March 2021.
- Section 3 (Extension for Part 2) setting out multiple extensions for different categories of scheduled contracts, with end dates of 31 December 2020, 31 January 2021, and 31 March 2021.
There are no additional parts or schedules in the extract because the Order’s operative content is entirely contained in these short provisions.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Order applies to parties whose rights and obligations under the COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 depend on whether a matter falls within the “prescribed period” for the relevant Part and contract category. In practice, this includes contracting parties to scheduled contracts—such as parties to event and tourism contracts, certain hire-purchase/conditional sale agreements and leases (subject to exclusions), construction and supply contracts, and specified housing and commercial property arrangements.
Because Section 3(2) includes explicit exclusions for agreements with banks and finance companies, and for certain vehicle categories (private hire cars and taxis), the Order does not apply uniformly to all financing or leasing arrangements. Lawyers should therefore conduct a contract-by-contract eligibility review, focusing on (i) the contract type, (ii) the nature and location/use of the asset, (iii) the counterparty’s status (bank/finance company), and (iv) whether the vehicle category is excluded under the Road Traffic Act reference.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
This Order is important because it directly affects timing—and timing is often determinative in contractual disputes and statutory relief. By extending the prescribed period, the Order preserves the availability of temporary measures under the parent Act for an additional set of months. For practitioners, this can change outcomes in disputes about performance, termination, enforcement, or other consequences that the parent Act regulates through its time-bound framework.
Second, the Order demonstrates a sector-sensitive approach. Different contract categories receive different extension end dates: event and tourism contracts end earlier (31 December 2020), certain equipment/vehicle financing and leasing arrangements end at 31 January 2021, and construction/supply and property-related arrangements extend to 31 March 2021. This matters when advising clients on risk allocation and when assessing whether a particular contractual dispute is likely to fall within the statutory relief window.
Third, the explicit exclusions in Section 3(2) are a practical warning: eligibility is not automatic. A party may assume that because a contract involves a commercial vehicle or equipment, it is covered. However, the Order excludes certain financing counterparties (banks and finance companies) and excludes specific vehicle categories (private hire cars and taxis). These exclusions can significantly narrow the relief and should be addressed early in legal advice, including in pre-litigation correspondence and settlement discussions.
Related Legislation
- COVID‑19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 (Act 14 of 2020)
- Banking Act (Cap. 19)
- Finance Companies Act (Cap. 108)
- Hire‑Purchase Act (Cap. 125)
- Road Traffic Act (Cap. 276)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Extension of Prescribed Period) (No. 2) Order 2020 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.