Part of the measures taken by companies and the Singapore government to curb the spread of Covid-19 would be encouraging Singaporeans to work from home.
Most Singaporeans have adjusted to working at home, and it seems like this might be the new norm for a while now.
However, although working from home is beneficial for most people, it does bring about a few problems as well.
And one of them would be non-smokers having to deal with the second-hand smoke coming from their neighbours.
Second-Hand Smoke Complaints On The Rise
It’s pretty clear why complaints about second-hand smoke in residential areas have risen in recent months.
Everyone who used to go for smoke breaks at work now goes for smoke breaks at home instead, and needless to say, it easier to have one at home, given that you can’t smoke in the office. For example, in the Goody Feed office, the journey to and fro the smoking point might be longer than the smoking process itself.
“It’s very likely that people who used to smoke, primarily at the workplace, are now bringing the habit back to where they live,” said Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State for National Development, in the Straits Times.
She added that the Municipal Services Office (MSO) has been studying the issue closely, and they are also assessing different solutions, like mediation or the community dispute resolution tribunal.
According to data from the MSO, there were over 2,500 reports regarding complaints about second-hand smoke per month in May and June 2020. This is a significant increase, considering the fact that it used to be below 2,000 a month previously.
MP Giving Out Hampers To Encourage Residents To Quit Smoking
Ms Sim said that this is a widespread issue that many MPs have been facing, and some of them have been taking various steps to address the issue in their own residential areas.
Ms Sim herself has been doing her part in her own Bukit Timah ward, by giving out some thoughtful hampers that encourage people to quit smoking.
She started doing so during the Circuit Breaker period, when the complaints about second-hand smoke first started to increase.
Each hamper comes with healthy food like fruit and nuts, and it also includes a letter from Ms Sim appealing to the smoker to consider the effects of smoke on their neighbours, and encouraging him or her to quit the habit.
Other Measures To Solve The Issue Of Second-Hand Smoke
Another example of a way to reduce the inconvenience of second-hand smoke is by setting up designated smoking points (DSPs) around a residential area.
This is a measure that MP Carrie Tan’s Nee Soon South ward has adopted. 50 designated smoking points have been set up around the area since 2017.
According to Mr Ng Hak Hai, chairman of Nee Soon South’s clean and green committee, each DSP costs about $8,000 but they are usually funded by public donations from individuals or businesses.
In recent weeks, about 200 to 300 cigarette butts have been collected at the more frequented smoking points.
Ms Tan has also put up posters in lifts and HDB blocks that remind smokers that there are young children or babies in the vicinity and ask them not to smoke in the area.
The effectiveness of these measures will be reviewed after three months, said Ms Tan.
Meanwhile, if you are a smoker yourself, do keep in mind that second-hand smoke is actually more harmful than inhaled smoke, and that you can do your part to ensure that your neighbours are not exposed to these toxins.
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