SINGAPORE — About 296,000 households collected this year’s National Day Parade (NDP) pack on Monday (July 20), the first day it was made available for collection, a People’s Association spokesperson said.

The packs are being distributed at all community centres and community clubs until Aug 2 and residents’ committee centres until July 26, except on public holidays.

Every Singaporean and permanent resident household may collect one pack, known this year as a "Singapore Together Pack". They must present their identification cards to collect the pack between 10am and 6pm at the collection centres.

To avoid crowding at the collection points, only one member of each household should collect the pack.

About 1.2 to 1.3 million packs are set to be distributed, NDP organisers announced in May.

This year’s pack contains 12 items, down from the 20 to 25 items in a typical NDP pack. They include two bottles of hand sanitiser, a thermometer and face masks.

The NDP committee this year and the People's Association on Saturday encouraged households to display the Singapore flag outside their homes in the lead-up to National Day on Aug 9, adding that households can ask for a flag at the collection centres.

Safe distancing rules apply and temperature taking will be done at the collection centres to ensure the safety and well-being of the public, volunteers and staff members, the organisers said.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said last month that the NDP organisers will be producing packs for 80 per cent of households, fewer than the 90 or 95 per cent normally catered for the occasion.

This figure was derived based on previous occasions when such packs were distributed, and therefore takes into account those who have said that they do not need one, he added.