SINGAPORE — The grace period at all Housing and Development Board (HDB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) car parks with electronic parking systems will be extended with immediate effect until May 31.

In a joint media release on Friday (April 17), HDB and URA said they will extend the current 10-minute grace period at these car parks to 20 minutes. Motorists who exit the car parks within the grace period will not be charged parking fees.

This is to facilitate the increased volume of deliveries after more Singaporeans turn to online services for food, groceries and other essential goods as they stay home during the circuit breaker period.

The extended grace period should give sufficient time for motorists to park their vehicles and deliver their goods, the authorities said. The May 31 end date will also allow "sufficient time for transition" when the demand for delivery gradually eases.

Those who park their vehicles beyond the grace period will need to pay parking fees for the full duration, including the first 20 minutes, when they leave the car park.

"We seek motorists’ cooperation to carry out their activities speedily and not to linger at any location longer than necessary, in view of the safe distancing measures," the authorities added.