Statute Details
- Title: COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Extension of Prescribed Period) (No. 3) Order 2021
- Act Code: COVID19TMA2020-S724-2021
- Legislation Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 (Act 14 of 2020)
- Authorising Provision: Section 3(2) of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020
- Enacting Date / Made Date: 27 September 2021
- Commencement: The Order extends prescribed periods starting 1 October 2021 (for the relevant parts) and ending 31 December 2021
- SL Citation: SL 724/2021
- Status: Current version as at 27 March 2026
- Key Provisions: Sections 1 to 3 (Citation; extension for Part 1; extension for Part 2 scheduled contracts)
What Is This Legislation About?
The COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Extension of Prescribed Period) (No. 3) Order 2021 is a short but practically significant legal instrument. It does not create entirely new COVID-19 relief measures by itself. Instead, it extends the “prescribed period” within which the substantive temporary measures in the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 apply.
In plain language, the COVID-19 Temporary Measures Act 2020 introduced time-limited protections and procedural rules to help parties manage contractual and related disputes during the pandemic. Because the pandemic’s economic impact persisted, the Government periodically extended the time window during which those protections would operate. This Order is one such extension—specifically the third extension (hence “No. 3”)—covering the period from 1 October 2021 to 31 December 2021.
Crucially, the extension is not uniform across the Act. The Order extends the prescribed period for Part 1 of the Act, and separately extends it for Part 2 but only for particular categories of contracts described as “scheduled contracts” in Part 2—most notably construction and supply contracts, and performance bonds (or equivalents) granted pursuant to those contracts.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Section 1 (Citation) provides the formal name of the Order: the “COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Extension of Prescribed Period) (No. 3) Order 2021”. While this is standard drafting, it is important for practitioners when cross-referencing the correct subsidiary legislation in pleadings, submissions, or compliance checklists.
Section 2 (Extension of prescribed period for Part 1 of the Act) is the core operative provision for Part 1. It states that the “prescribed period” as it applies to Part 1 of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 is extended by a period starting on 1 October 2021 and ending on 31 December 2021.
Practically, this means that whatever Part 1 measures are triggered by the existence of a contract, notice, or procedural step occurring within the “prescribed period” will continue to benefit from the Act’s temporary regime during the extended window. Lawyers should therefore treat this Order as a time-extension mechanism: it affects when the Act’s protections apply, not what the protections are.
Section 3 (Extension of prescribed period for Part 2 of the Act) extends the prescribed period for Part 2 but with a narrower scope. It extends the prescribed period for the following descriptions of scheduled contracts in Part 2:
- (a) a construction contract or supply contract; and
- (b) a performance bond or equivalent that is granted pursuant to a construction contract or supply contract.
Again, the extension runs from 1 October 2021 to 31 December 2021. The legal significance lies in the fact that Part 2 of the Act is contract- and dispute-management oriented, and its relief is tied to whether the relevant contract falls within the “scheduled contracts” categories. This Order confirms that, for the specified quarter, those categories remain within the ambit of the temporary measures.
From a practitioner’s perspective, the key interpretive point is that the Order’s extension is time-bound and category-bound for Part 2. If a dispute, notice, or enforcement step relates to a construction/supply contract (or a performance bond/equivalent granted pursuant to such a contract), the lawyer must check whether the relevant event occurred within the extended prescribed period. If it did, the Act’s Part 2 protections may be available; if it did not, the relief may not apply.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
This Order is structured in a simple three-section format:
- Section 1 sets out the citation.
- Section 2 provides the extension for Part 1 of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020.
- Section 3 provides the extension for Part 2, limited to specified categories of scheduled contracts (construction/supply contracts and related performance bonds/equivalents).
There are no schedules, definitions, or detailed substantive rules in this Order. Instead, it operates as a gateway that modifies the temporal scope of the substantive provisions in the parent Act.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Order applies to parties whose rights and obligations are affected by the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 during the extended prescribed period. While the Order itself is brief, its practical reach is determined by the parent Act’s subject matter in Part 1 and Part 2.
In particular, for Part 2, the Order targets parties involved in construction contracts and supply contracts, and also parties dealing with performance bonds (or equivalent instruments) that are granted pursuant to such contracts. This typically includes contractors, suppliers, employers/contracting parties, and bond issuers/beneficiaries, as well as legal representatives managing claims and enforcement steps during the relevant quarter.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Even though the Order is short, it can be decisive in disputes. Many COVID-19 temporary measures in Singapore legislation depended on whether events occurred within a defined “prescribed period”. By extending that period to 1 October 2021–31 December 2021, the Order potentially preserves the availability of statutory protections for parties who were otherwise approaching the end of the earlier time windows.
For lawyers, the most important practical impact is on timing and eligibility. When advising on contractual disputes—especially those involving construction and supply arrangements—counsel must consider whether the relevant contract falls within the “scheduled contracts” framework and whether the relevant procedural or substantive event occurred during the extended prescribed period. This affects litigation strategy, settlement posture, and the framing of legal arguments.
Additionally, the Order illustrates a broader regulatory approach: rather than rewriting the substantive relief each time, the Government used subsidiary legislation to extend the operational window of the Act. This approach reduces drafting complexity but increases the need for practitioners to maintain accurate timelines and to verify which version of the prescribed period applies at each stage of a dispute.
Related Legislation
- COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 (Act 14 of 2020) — the parent Act whose prescribed periods are extended by this Order
- COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Extension of Prescribed Period) (No. 1) Order — earlier extension instrument (timeline-dependent)
- COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Extension of Prescribed Period) (No. 2) Order — earlier extension instrument (timeline-dependent)
- COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Extension of Prescribed Period) (No. 4) Order — subsequent extension instrument (timeline-dependent)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Extension of Prescribed Period) (No. 3) Order 2021 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.