All Households Will Receive 75 Free Disposable Masks This Month

By
Shawn Ambrose
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After nearly a year of panic buying, our houses are filled with boxes of face masks and rolls of toilet paper that will probably only be used up in a hundred years.

But even if we don’t need it, we Singaporeans will always be happy to receive more of something if it’s free.

Well, here’s 75 free masks, courtesy of the Temasek Foundation.

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All Households Will Receive 75 Free Disposable Masks This Month

In a bid to get residents here to wear more effective face masks, the Temasek Foundation is launching yet another mass distribution exercise.

Under this exercise, each household will receive 50 medical-grade surgical masks and 25 N95 respirator masks, chief executive Ho Ching said in a Facebook post yesterday (4 Aug).

The distribution was supposed to begin after National Day, but was postponed to the end of the month so participating organisations have more time to test the system.

CapitaLand malls and larger supermarkets will be involved in the distribution.

More Effective Masks Necessary to Stop Delta Variant

So… why so many masks? And why no reusable masks like the last few exercises?

As Ms Ho explained in her post, the Delta variant is twice as contagious as the old coronavirus variants from last year.

With each case having an infectivity rate of five to six people, we need “80% of a population to wear 80% effective masks or better” to stop its spread.

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She pointed out that while reusable and some disposable masks are still effective – offering 80% protection – medical grade surgical and N95 masks offer 95% protection or more.

She added that there may be a drop of 2 to 3% in effectiveness every year for surgical and N95 masks, but that it would take four to five years for it to drop to 80%, making it more effective than most regular face masks on the market.

“Storing the boxes of masks in airtight containers help them stay effective for a bit longer,” she said.

Different Masks for Different Situations

Ms Ho said that if we have flu-like symptoms we should avoid going out at all, except to see a doctor.

And when doing so, we should don at least a medical-grade surgical mask.

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As for if we test positive on an antigen rapid test at home, then she suggests wearing an N95 mask to protect others.

“If we are visiting someone in hospital or in a nursing home, we should wear a medical grade surgical mask [if] we are vaccinated, and an N95 mask if we are not vaccinated”, she added.

Ms Ho reminded residents to bring along their own bags to collect the two to three boxes of face masks.

To collect your mask, you’ll need to download the SP App and present your SP bill ID at the counter.

Watch to the end of the video to learn more about how masks can protect you:

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Featured Image: Facebook (HO Ching) ; Maridav/ shutterstock.com

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]