Haze in Singapore - Part 2

We were really glad that the PSI remained below 100 for the whole of yesterday afternoon and evening.  We were able to visit my parents and go to our place of worship. 

In the evening, we went out for dinner. After that, we went to Cold Storage supermarket for grocery shopping. There were news reports on Friday that said that the N95 masks and surgical masks were out of stocks at many places. Since we were at Cold Storage, I thought we could buy some masks if they had stock.

We had been advised that the N95 masks are the most effective for protection against the haze, which is predominantly made up of fine particles. However, I did not see any N95 masks at Cold Storage. Instead, I saw many cartons of surgical masks. These masks were sold in boxes of 50 pieces and cost $12.90. 

We thought the surgical masks would be sufficient for us. We bought one box of the masks just in case we needed to walk outside for 15 to 20 minutes when the PSI level is very high. This was mainly to cover our nose so that we need not suffer from breathing in the burning smell, not so much for protection against the haze particles. We were also concerned that wearing an N95 mask would be very uncomfortable and cause breathing difficulties. N95 masks were not certified for children, so children were advised to minimise outdoor activities when the PSI level is very high. Click here for details. So, it makes sense for us to just get the surgical masks since we were more concerned about the smoky smell. The children can also wear these surgical masks too.

I watched the 11 pm news on Channel U last night.  Pregnant women were advised to wear the N95 mask for not more than 20 minutes.