Organisations activate haze contingency plans

SINGAPORE — As the haze worsened yesterday, various organisations began putting into action their contingency plans.

With Singaporeans heading to the polls today, the Elections Department (ELD) has advised Singaporeans to note the NEA’s advisory. “There are priority queues at polling stations for the elderly and disabled. Those who require any assistance or feel unwell should approach election officials at their respective polling stations,” said an ELD spokesperson in a media release yesterday.

To ensure the health and safety of some 30,000 election officials who will be on duty islandwide, ELD has also taken mitigating measures such as instituting adequate rest breaks and hydration for all officials.

Meanwhile, telco Singtel earlier today said it has activated its haze contingency plans, with some 5,000 N95 masks distributed to its staff who are required to work outdoors. The telco will be suspending outdoor work for its field operations staff and contract workers “should the haze situation worsen, reaching hazardous levels and affecting visibility”.

Pre-schools contacted by TODAY have also taken action, with some already suspending outdoor activities even before the haze worsened over the day. EtonHouse International School has been monitoring the PSI index closely and outdoor activities would be suspended the moment it exceeds 100, said senior principal Josephyne Ho. The school will also minimise physical activities and monitor their children’s health.

Likewise, NTUC My First Skool said its schools — it operates over 100 centres islandwide — cut down on physical and strenuous outdoor activities when the PSI readings breach 100. “We also encourage principals to take their own initiative to adjust classroom activities and needs if visually they feel that the haze situation is at a level above their comfort level despite PSI readings,” said a My First Skool spokesperson.

G8 Education, which operates over 40 childcare centres, said that should the haze worsen, it will keep all doors and windows at its centres closed, and those with chronic heart and lung conditions will be placed in air-conditioned rooms.

Standing fans and air purifiers will be kept switched on throughout the day to ventilate the classrooms.

Nursing homes, meanwhile, told TODAY they would keep fans on at full blast. Ms Leong Sok Boy, a nurse at Paean Nursing Home, said: “If the haze worsens, we will close the door temporarily and I may suggest to my boss to (purchase) air purifiers.”

Retailers have also seen sales of N95 masks increase, but said that there are sufficient stocks. Watsons has a total of 22,000 masks stocked in all its stores and saw a double-digit growth in the sales for N95 masks over the past weeks.

FairPrice has seen a 10 per cent increase in sales of the N95 masks since the last week of the past month. “At present, our stores continue to have sufficient supply to meet the demands. Customers are encouraged to only buy what they need for their personal use,” said a FairPrice spokesperson.

Last year, the Ministry of Health said it had 16 million N95 masks on standby in the case of a shortage.