Temasek Foundation to give out surgical, N95 masks to each Singaporean household

N95 masks to be distributed by Temasek Foundation. (PHOTO: Temasek Foundation)
N95 masks to be distributed by Temasek Foundation. (PHOTO: Temasek Foundation)

SINGAPORE — The Temasek Foundation will be distributing a pack of 50 medical-grade surgical masks and 25 N95 respirator masks to each Singapore household from 26 August to 26 September at over 130 islandwide locations.

Both types of masks have a Particle Filtration Efficiency of 95 per cent or better, the foundation said in a media release on Wednesday (18 August). Unlike its previous distributions of free masks, these mask are single-use disposable masks, and should be disposed properly after use.

Residents must bring their physical or online Singapore Power (SP) residential bills in order to scan their account barcode, or provide their SP residential account numbers, for collection of masks. They should also bring along their own bags to carry the boxes of masks.

Residents may also collect the free masks on behalf of others by bringing along their SP residential bills (with account barcode) or SP account numbers, if they have been authorised to do so.

The collection points comprise 15 select CapitaLand malls, and 116 participating supermarket outlets of Sheng Siong, Prime Supermarket, Cold Storage, FairPrice Xtra and Giant. Residents can go to the foundation's Stay Prepared website to find their nearest collection points and collection hours, as well as check prevailing stock levels.

Standby stock for specific higher-risk situations

Temasek Foundation said in the media release that it is providing the free surgical masks as standby stock in each household, to be used for specific higher-risk situations, like folks going to see their doctors when they have flu-like symptoms.

It added that they can be used as extra protection on top of reusable or other masks. They can also be used at home while waiting for test results.

As for the N95 masks, it said that they are not meant for daily use in general public settings.

"They are less breathable than the medical grade surgical masks, and provide excellent protection if there is a proper seal around the mask. They can be used on high risk occasions like when we do ART tests at home and find that we have positive test results," it said in the media release.

For enquiries, please dial the StayMasked hotline 1800-7382000 from 9am to 9pm daily. Enquiries or feedback may also be emailed to staymasked@temasekfoundation.org.sg .

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