SINGAPORE — All households in Singapore will be eligible to collect a free bottle of mouth gargle to help reduce the spread of illnesses, Temasek Foundation said on Thursday (Oct 21).

This is part of its Stay Prepared initiative “to help everyone to stay safe and well, and safeguard our local community”, the foundation said.

In a statement, Temasek Foundation said that the mouth gargle contains 1 per cent povidone-iodine as an active ingredient that is effective against a wide range of germs, including those that cause sore throats.

The mouth gargle comes in a 250 ml bottle along with a 25 ml measuring cup.

Residents who are interested in collecting on behalf of their households need to register online from Monday, Nov 15 to Friday, Dec 10 using their SP residential water bill account at stayprepared.sg/staywell-register.

Home address and email contact will be required as part of the verification process.

Self-collection will take place from Monday, Nov 22 to Sunday, Dec 12, and is subject to availability.

Singapore Post will also deliver an additional small 125ml bottle of the gargle to each letter box at one- to four-room Housing and Development Board flats.

Temasek Foundation previously distributed oximeters to all households to allow residents to monitor their blood oxygen regularly, and before that hand sanitisers and face masks.