Of all the things that Singaporeans have to kvetch about amid the coronavirus pandemic—disrupted staycation plans, not being able to drink past 10:30pm, etc., etc.—not having face masks to wear probably isn’t going to be one of them, at least, not for long.
Starting on Monday, June 29, and running until July 12, each resident in Singapore will be able to collect two free masks at any one of the island’s 1,200 mask vending machines.
Videos by VICE
The free masks are provided by the Temasek Foundation, a non-profit organization under the state sovereign fund Temasek Holdings. The mask distribution is the latest installment of StayMasked, a program under the foundation’s Stay Prepared initiative to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.
This is the fourth time that Singapore residents have been given free masks since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. Disposable face masks were previously handed out in February, while reusable masks were distributed in April. The last round of mask distribution from May 26 to June 14 saw one million reusable masks collected on the first day, an impressive turnout for a city-state of just 5.8 million inhabitants.
Each face mask vending machine is equipped with a webcam, which will be used to identify any mask-stealing offenders. In May, a 32-year-old man was arrested for using illegally obtained personal data to claim over 200 masks.
The masks will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, but organizers of StayMasked have assured the public that “there is no need to rush as there are enough mask kits for all who are eligible.”
The vending machines do not support direct sales or payment, but those who wish to buy extra masks can do so by ordering them online and collecting them using the QR code found on the machines.
Most Singapore residents appear to have found the collection of face masks at the vending machines to be a pretty fuss-free affair, though a few have complained the machines aren’t user-friendly, or have been touched by too many people.
“I just scanned my [Identity Card] and the vending machine dispensed the mask almost immediately,” said one woman, who asked to be identified only by her surname, Wang, describing to VICE News her experience collecting face masks in May. “The whole process took like five seconds.”
One 56-year-old woman, surnamed Chong, told VICE News that the machine was “generally easy to use,” but she was “confused” by the number she had to enter to receive her masks.
“It might not really be user-friendly for older people,” she added.
Besides the purported convenience, the use of vending machines also serves to uphold social distancing measures amid the pandemic by minimizing face-to-face interactions.
The spread of the coronavirus in Singapore has slowed significantly in recent days, compared to its peak in April, when more than 1,000 new cases were confirmed daily for several consecutive days. The vast majority of cases have been attributed to outbreaks in migrant worker dormitories, shedding light on how an invisible population has been neglected in the nation’s fight against the coronavirus.
As of press time, Singapore has recorded a total of 42,623 cases of the coronavirus, and 26 deaths.
