The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Sep. 19 that Singapore has a national stockpile of 16 million masks that can be released to the market when required.

According to CNA, MOH revealed that a total of 260,000 N95 masks were requested by retailers on Sep. 12 and Sep. 14.

They were delivered to the retailers a day after the requests, to "supplement their own source of supply".

It was previously reported that N95 masks were in high demand, and had sold out in some healthcare stores.

MOH assures the public that more stocks will be progressively made available.

Haze situation improving temporarily

Currently, Singapore is experiencing some respite from the haze, despite the 24-hour PSI being at 117 at the time of writing.

This is because the one-hour PM2.5 reading, which calculates the average of 2.5-micron particulate matter in the past hour, was within the normal range. 

2.5-micron particulate matter are the most pervasive of air pollutants and also the most harmful to human health.

This means that reading the level of PM2.5 is a better reflection of the current air quality.

But even with the 24-hour PSI at 117, you may not necessarily need a mask.

An N95 mask may be used by someone who has to be outdoors for several hours when the PSI is more than 300.

N95 masks are not needed when someone is only exposed to the outdoors for a short time, such as commuting to and fro home, school or work.

N95 masks are also not needed in an indoor environment.

So if you haven't got a mask, perhaps there's no need to scramble to get one yet.

Even if you do need one, there's more than enough to go around.

Top image via the Ministry of Health's website.