SINGAPORE – The distribution of more than five million masks to local households will begin on Saturday (Feb 1) at about 200 residents’ committee (RC) centres, with residents of Beach Road to be among the first to receive them.
Collection timings will be staggered over the next week at the 89 community centres and 654 RC centres that will be mobilised across the island, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing told reporters after a tour of preparations at the People’s Association (PA) headquarters in Jalan Besar on Friday.
Information on when and where to collect the masks will be put up on community notice boards, digital display panels and constituency social media platforms from Friday.
Members of the public can also call 1800-333-9999 if they have questions about the mask collection. The hotline will be manned between 2pm and 10pm on Saturday, and 9am to 9pm for the rest of the week.
Mr Chan, who is the PA deputy chairman, said that collection times will be staggered according to groups of housing blocks to prevent long queues from forming.
“Every division typically every day will serve about two RC zones, with about 2,500 to 3,000 units. Based on this, we will stagger the time for people to come and collect,” he said, adding that grassroots advisers for each division will decide on the collection location and allocation priority based on the area’s needs.
“We have calculated that even at peak hour, we should be able to complete the transactions in a few minutes, so there’s really no need to rush,” he said.
The Government on Thursday announced that all 1.3 million households in Singapore will be given a pack of four masks each amid reports of shops running out of stock and alleged profiteering by resellers.
The authorities have said that supplies will be sufficient if used responsibly, and stressed that those who are not well do not need to wear masks. The masks are being distributed as a contingency measure for those visiting a doctor while ill.
The masks will be made available progressively from Saturday, and should be fully distributed by Feb 9. Collection hours on Saturday will be from 2pm to 10pm and from 10am to 9pm on subsequent days. Those who miss their collection window can visit their CC to do so until Feb 9.
The free masks can be collected only once per household and those collecting them must show their identity card. PA volunteers will deliver the masks to residents with mobility issues, said Mr Chan.
The Singapore Armed Forces, which has been working round the clock to pack the masks, will be delivering the first batch of masks to CCs on Friday evening. They will be distributed to the RCs on Saturday morning.
Command and call centres have also been set up at the PA headquarters to monitor and support operations.
PA volunteer Ronnie Ma, who will be helping to distribute masks at the Kampong Glam Beach Road RC, said that it is planning to distribute masks to about 2,500 to 2,800 households on Saturday.
“Tomorrow we are focusing purely on Beach Road because it has our highest population of residents living in rental blocks… we will have sufficient stock for every family within the estate,” said Mr Ma, 50.
The RC will have five collection counters as well as one for inquiries, staffed by up to 20 volunteers who will also handle queue management.
“Within Kampong Glam, we have a total of nine RCs… we also have to cater to residents living in private estates,” said Mr Ma, who added that many have stepped up to volunteer but more are welcome.
Singapore currently has 13 confirmed cases of the Wuhan virus, all of whom are Chinese nationals.
The World Health Organisation on Thursday declared the coronavirus epidemic a global health emergency, raising the alert level and granting the intergovernmental body more scope to limit cross-border spread.
These include putting travel advisories in place, pushing for closer coordination among nations and reviewing public health measures carried out by countries to ensure they meet proper health standards.
