Smooth for some, frustrating for others as N95 mask distribution gets underway amid haze in Singapore

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SINGAPORE: When Ms Nancy Lim arrived at Bishan Community Centre at noon on Thursday (Oct 15) to collect her N95 masks, she was greeted by a sign saying that stocks had run out.

The 64-year-old had called ahead, but was told that staff could not guarantee the availability of masks. 

"I thought they'd prepare more, considering the collection was supposed to run from 10am until 6pm,” the part-time clinic assistant told CNA. 

She eventually managed to collect her masks about half an hour later, when fresh supplies were wheeled into the air-conditioned hall.

Ms Lim was among some residents who faced hiccups as N95 masks were progressively made available at designated collection points across Singapore – with long queues and confusion at some locations and temporary stock shortages at others. 

But experiences varied across the country, with collection proceeding smoothly at other locations, where residents were able to get their masks quickly and with little fuss.

SMOOTH SAILING AT SOME COLLECTION POINTS

CNA visited six distribution points on Thursday – four vending machine locations and two community centres – and observed both smooth collections and teething problems.

At Cheng San Community Club in Ang Mo Kio, for instance, residents waited less than two minutes to collect their masks when CNA visited at about 11.30am. Sample masks were also available for residents to compare against their faces to determine the appropriate size.

Retiree Jenny Tan, 72, who lives opposite the community club, had collected masks for herself and her husband.

"I just walked to the counter and got the masks … after my friend told me to come here. It's more than enough because we're both staying home as much as possible to avoid the haze," she said.

Other residents were grateful to receive the masks, particularly as supplies were low elsewhere.

Ms Lucy Lee, 76, who works for a charity, said her daughter had tried buying masks from pharmacies and online but found them sold out.

“I'm glad that at least I managed to get two. I hope they'll give out to others soon," she said.

STOCK SHORTAGES, VENDING MACHINE HICCUPS

However, teething problems were observed at several other collection points, ranging from technical difficulties with vending machines to confusion over eligibility and collection procedures.

At Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange, staff had to disperse crowds of seniors at about 11am after one of two vending machines ran out of masks. The other was stocked but not operational.

One of the electrical plugs was locked, leaving the second machine without access to power. 

Although the staff managed to connect it to a nearby charging point, that position was in the way of pedestrians and the staff decided not to operate the machine for safety reasons.

Mr John Teo, who works as a field interviewer, was among those who left disappointed after he was unable to collect his masks. 

"I was already quite confused by the differing information online about the collection, like who was eligible and when the distribution would begin," said the 65-year-old.

"I'm just using my expired masks (which I got during COVID-19) as it's better than nothing … I'll take a train down to Toa Payoh and see if I can get there."

Ms Mary Goh, who works at AMK Hub, had waited about 40 minutes, hoping the issue would be resolved.

"It's inconvenient to walk over to the nearby community centre,” said the 55-year-old. “This vending machine is the nearest to my workplace."

At Bishan Community Club, more than 30 seniors were turned away over 15 minutes after adult-sized masks ran out at about 12.35pm. 

During this time, however, the HazeMaskGoWhere website continued to indicate that masks were still available at the collection point. 

Staff replenished supplies about half an hour later.

Among those affected was Ms Birkaur, a retiree who only goes by one name. The 76-year-old felt she had made a wasted trip to the community club after discovering that masks had run out. 

"The two masks can't possibly be enough. We were told not to reuse masks during COVID-19," she said. "I think they should at least give us a few more pieces."

She added that she had been giving surgical masks to other seniors who were not wearing masks amid the haze, hoping it would "help in one way or another".

CONFUSION OVER ELIGIBILITY, COLLECTION PROCESS

At Clementi Bus Interchange, a snaking line formed as soon as staff began replenishing a mask vending machine. 

Several people expressed frustration over the lack of a hotline or staff on hand to help when they faced problems collecting their masks.

Among them was housewife Kat Wong, who is in her 40s and has chronic medical conditions such as asthma. 

"I queued for so long and couldn't do anything, so I stepped out of the line," she said, adding she had expected the process to be as smooth as the mask collection exercises during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Under the distribution guidelines, people with medical conditions such as asthma, pregnant women and children aged seven to 16 can collect masks only at community centres. 

But Ms Wong was unaware of the requirement and there were no signs at the vending machine explaining it. 

Two CHAS Blue cardholders also encountered difficulties collecting masks from vending machines in Bukit Panjang and Clementi, despite being eligible to do so. 

One eventually obtained the masks from a contractor who was replenishing the machine. 

Several seniors CNA spoke to were unaware that they could check mask availability at vending machines and community centres on the HazeMaskGoWhere website. Others were confused about how many masks they were entitled to collect. 

For instance, retiree Koh Eng Guan, 82, had assumed that each household was entitled to only two masks.

Some residents also hoped that more masks could be given out, saying that two would not be sufficient. Others called for home delivery of masks to seniors who might struggle to travel to collection points amid the haze. 

Retiree Koh Siok Cheng, 65, said she was unable to collect masks for her brother, who is in his 80s and has difficulty leaving home, as the vending machine in Bukit Panjang could not scan a photo of his identification card.  

On Wednesday, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said the government was working with different sectors to progressively roll out the distribution of N95 masks, including contractors deploying vending machines across Singapore.

"Of course, the machines will have to take some time to reach the entire island. So we urge patience on the part of Singaporeans, and we will as quickly as possible bring all the masks to every part of the country," she said.

CNA has contacted the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment for updates on the deployment of vending machines and the issues encountered at collection points.

Additional reporting by Alyssa Tan and Syamil Sapari.