How Govt will act if haze rises to Muar levels

SINGAPORE — The Government is looking at ways to ensure minimal disruption to essential services should the haze crisis escalate further.

Referring to the situation in Muar, Johor — where Malaysia’s air pollutant index reached 746 at 7am yesterday and forced the government to declare emergency status in the town — Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who chairs the Haze Inter-Ministerial Committee, said the Government was “examining sector by sector how to make sure that Singaporeans can get on with their lives”. He said he will elaborate on this when he meets the media today.

He added: “If a situation arises like in Muar ... we may have to close certain sectors, we may have to obviously consider what we need to do and if we need to continue essential services. We have the ability to mobilise assets and personnel to make sure that at least the essential services continue.”

Dr Ng was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a visit to the Care Corner Seniors Activity Centre (CCSAC) at Block 62B in Toa Payoh, where he distributed masks to some 90 elderly residents.

He said: “We were fortunate this weekend, the winds changed ... but you know any time the winds can change back and come down south, and I think we have to prepare for that. We don’t know how long the haze will be with us. We certainly hope it won’t but let’s prepare for it.”

On the distribution of N95 masks, Dr Ng said that four million — about half of the Ministry of Health’s nine million stockpile — have been supplied to retailers and low-income households. Of these, one million are currently being distributed to 220,000 low-income households — an exercise that will be completed over the next few days.

The remaining three million masks have been supplied to retailers. Dr Ng noted that, as a result, retail prices have “stabilised and, in fact, come down”. “There is no shortage of masks now available. There is no need to panic-buy and no need to hog,” he said.