Singapore’s 24-hour PSI read 127 to 177 at 5am on Saturday, 10 October, with all five regions in the unhealthy range, a day after the central region reached 192, the highest reading of this haze season. The National Environment Agency (NEA) expects the 24-hour PSI may exceed 200 and enter the very unhealthy range. The government’s Haze Task Force of 28 agencies has been convened to roll out its next tier of measures if it does.
NEA’s forecast for the 24-hour PSI is unhealthy to low very unhealthy. Showers are expected over Singapore and the surrounding region on Saturday and Sunday, but southeasterly to southwesterly winds may keep carrying smoke haze from southern Sumatra and Kalimantan towards Singapore.
Free N95 masks once the PSI passes 200
The masks are not being handed out yet. Distribution starts only when the 24-hour PSI enters the very unhealthy range, above 200. People’s Association (PA) grassroots organisations will then give out N95 masks that the government has set aside, in packs of two, for Singaporeans who may be more vulnerable to haze or who may have limited means of buying them.
These groups can collect masks with their NRIC from vending machines at selected public transport hubs, Social Service Offices and PA venues:
- Pioneer Generation members
- Merdeka Generation members
- CHAS Orange and CHAS Blue card holders
- Medical Fee Exemption Card holders
- recipients of ComCare Assistance
Pregnant women, children aged seven to 16 and people with medical conditions such as asthma can collect masks at PA venues, also with their NRIC. A family member or friend may collect on an eligible person’s behalf using that person’s NRIC.
N95 masks are generally not needed for short spells outdoors, such as the commute to school or work, or indoors. The elderly, pregnant women and people with chronic heart or lung disease may wear one when the forecast is very unhealthy and they have to be outdoors for several hours. Anyone in those groups who has difficulty breathing at rest or on exertion should see a doctor before using one. For a healthy adult, NEA’s line for an N95 is a hazardous forecast, with the PSI above 300. Retailers’ warehouses and government stockpiles hold enough N95 masks.
Haze shelters at community clubs
Air-conditioned rooms in community clubs, and in selected Residents’ Committee and Residents’ Network centres, will open as haze shelters once the PSI goes above 200. Members of the public can use them to get out of the haze. Each community club sets its own shelter location and hours. If the 24-hour PSI reaches the hazardous range, community club shelters will stay open until 10pm.
Sport, outdoor plans and the drive home
Given the forecast for the next 24 hours, NEA’s advice is already at the very unhealthy level. Healthy people should avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor exertion. The elderly, pregnant women and children should keep outdoor activity to a minimum, and people with chronic lung or heart disease should avoid it. Anyone who feels unwell, especially the elderly and children, should see a doctor.
Sport Singapore has told organisers and facility operators to consider changing or suspending activities held outdoors or in non-air-conditioned venues once the PSI is very unhealthy. ActiveSG Sport Centres are adjusting operations to the 24-hour PSI, and temporary facility closures and suspended programmes vary by centre.
Families moving plans indoors this weekend have one big free option: the National Museum of Singapore reopens its Singapore History Gallery on Saturday, with entry free for all visitors until Monday, 12 October.
On the roads, the Land Transport Authority will use expressway signs and ERP 2.0 on-board units to remind motorists to drive with care and switch on their headlights when visibility is low, and will adjust tunnel lighting where needed. Train or bus services hit by the haze will be announced on the MyTransport.SG app and on LTA’s and the operators’ social media pages.
Where the readings stand
The central region had the highest 24-hour PSI at 5am, at 177, followed by the west at 166, the east at 156, the south at 145 and the north at 127. The 1-hour PM2.5 readings, which NEA uses for decisions about the next hour, were 69 to 123 µg/m³, all in Band 2 on NEA’s four-band scale. NEA updates both readings every hour on haze.gov.sg and the myENV app.
