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About 22 per cent of eligible Singaporeans have collected the masks so far, according to the haze task force. With air quality improving, Ms Fu encouraged those who have not done so to collect them before conditions worsen again.<\/p>\n
“The haze situation has improved over the last few days. However, the health of our people remains our top priority,” she said, adding that Singaporeans should stay prepared for another deterioration in air quality.<\/span><\/p>\n She also addressed concerns over mask availability after some retail shelves were found empty. She said the Ministry of Health will draw on its national inventory to help restock supplies at Sheng Siong, Giant and Cold Storage. FairPrice Group has masks available in stores and online, she added.<\/p>\n “So no need to panic. There are always masks available, and we just need to give the retailers some time to replenish their shelves,” Ms Fu said.<\/span><\/p>\n Air quality across Singapore has improved, with hourly PM2.5 readings in the normal range across all regions as of 1pm on Thursday.<\/span><\/p>\n This follows a sharp deterioration earlier in the month. On Oct 14, the hourly PM2.5 reading in the west hit 288, the highest in Singapore since 2015. The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index in the west reached 230 on Oct 18, the highest islandwide reading this year.<\/span><\/p>\n At a press conference on the haze situation on Oct 16, Ms Fu warned that air quality could reach hazardous levels. She said the situation remained fluid and depended on weather conditions, adding that the haze could last for another three to four weeks.<\/p>\n The government began distributing N95 masks on Oct 14 at all community clubs. A total of 37 vending machines dispensing free N95 masks to eligible Singaporeans were also deployed islandwide.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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