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Influencer Shows That Some MRT Station Staff Will Give Masks If You Forget to Bring One

2022-09-27 , 10:30 am

Last Updated on 2022-10-06 , 8:35 pm

We can be prone to forgetfulness.

Seriously, when the mask mandate first kicked in back in 2020, how many of us had to walk back to our houses to grab our masks simply because we forgot that it was a daily essential now?

Heaps, I bet.

Masks From The Train Station

Since 29 August, it is no longer required to wear masks indoors or outdoors by law, except in healthcare facilities, public transport or other places that are crowded or will likely have high-risk individuals.

If you happen to forget your mask, you usually have two options: go back home and grab a mask, or buy a whole box at the nearest convenience store or pharmacy.

But did you know that there’s technically a third option?

Last Thursday (22 Sep) Influencer Thomas Kophankiewicz shared a tip that he learned from his friend.

At the start of the video, Thomas explained that he had left his mask in the office, but he needed to board the train.

Then his friend told him that the train station actually offers free masks to passengers who need one.

“I’m mindblown, and I’m gonna ask them now,” said Thomas as he approached the station’s help desk, adding that he was going to slap his friend if he was wrong.

The perspective switches to Thomas asking the staff at One-North MRT Station if they had any free masks to spare.

To his surprise, he was given one.

They share a fist bump before his friend says gleefully, “Of course they have, it’s Singapore!”

In the description, Thomas writes, “AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO DOESN’T KNOW ABOUT THIS?!?! I felt like some tourist in Japan LOL”.

@heythomask
AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO DOESNT KNOW ABOUT THIS?!?! I felt like some tourist in Japan LOL #sgtiktok

♬ original sound – Thomas Kopankiewicz – Thomas Kopankiewicz

Netizens’ Response

Immediately, there were some wails in the comment sections from fellow sufferers who had just gone back to their houses or offices to retrieve a mask.

One Tiktok user wrote, “Waaa…. If I [had] known, I wouldn’t have walked all the way back to my office to take my mask.”

It must have been awkward to drop by their workplace just to take their mask again, yeesh.

A commenter who seems to work at SMRT pointed out that they don’t actually “provide” free masks, but they do give it out of their own goodwill because there are passengers who have forgotten theirs, or their mask happened to break.

Some TikTok users even stated that you could actually approach a random stranger or an F&B establishment for a spare mask, because there’s a high chance that they will have one and give it to you.

“To be honest, you can go to any F&B restaurant [and] ask for a mask. We do have some boxes of masks for customers whose masks are broken or dirty when they ask for it.”

That makes a whole lot of sense.

Bus drivers are among the people you can approach too.

However, it appears that not all MRT stations are willing to give out free masks.

After scrolling through the comment section, users reported that Bayfront, Hillview, City Hall, Tampines and Clarke Quay MRT Stations don’t give out free masks to passengers.

It is dependent on the staff’s goodwill and whether they have extras to spare, after all.

Some of those stations are stations that see a lot of traffic.

While this tip may work in a pinch, please don’t abuse it and start demanding it from the MRT staff.

Exercise mask responsibility and make sure to stash extras in your bags!

Influencer Shows That Some MRT Station Staff Will Give Masks If You Forget to Bring One

Masks From The Train Station

Netizens’ Response

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