Covid-19: S’poreans complain about the size and quality of reusable masks given by Govt

Singapore – After receiving their reusable face masks, residents took to social media to point out some concerns regarding the size and quality of the free masks provided by the Government.

Beginning Sunday (Apr 5) until Sunday (Apr 12), residents with registered home addresses are qualified to collect one reusable face mask each at designated Community Clubs (CC) or Residents’ Committees (RC).

Soon after, posts about the face masks started circulating online, with residents complaining about their quality. One concerned citizen also pointed out the unhygienic distribution process being followed in her RC.

Mary Lau shared that the masks she acquired from Compassvale RC did not indicate if they were for adults or kids and received three kids-sized masks by mistake. As she was about to leave the premises, she saw a woman who had collected the free masks, open her pack and compared the sizes. Seeing that they wouldn’t fit, the woman went back to get them replaced.

Ms Lau followed suit to get her three small masks changed to something that would fit. “When I approached the attendants, one of them asked me to try wearing the mask and that if the size did not fit me, I will be entitled to an exchange.”

Ms Lau noted in her post that if everyone exchanged their masks after trying them on, “won’t the spread of Covid-19 be worsened?”

Netizens are advised to wash the masks before using them, although the practice of trying on face masks at distribution centres should be prohibited.

In another post, Shirlyne Yen Ong described the mask she got as “abit too much leh.” She wondered if the cover would be of any use to her grandmother. “This one can get from petrol station la. This is only for dust use.”

Another netizen questioned why different districts handed out varying types of face masks, some only had 2-ply.

The post garnered mixed responses from the online community, with some sharing the same sentiments. Meanwhile, many encouraged the residents to be grateful for the free masks and to stop complaining.

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Covid-19: Ho Ching commends homemade face masks, says “any mask will be better than no masks”