SINGAPORE - All 1.5 million households in Singapore will be provided with up to 500ml of hand sanitiser for free, with distribution starting from March 23 at each of the 109 People's Association's Community Clubs as well as 16 participating CapitaLand malls.
The 16 malls are Bedok Mall, Bugis Junction, Bugis+, Bukit Panjang Plaza, Clarke Quay, Funan, IMM, JCube, Junction 8, Lot One Shoppers' Mall, Plaza Singapura, Raffles City Singapore, SingPost Centre, Tampines Mall, The Star Vista and Westgate.
Collection hours are from 3pm to 9pm on weekdays and 10am to 9pm on weekends.
Residents must bring along clean recycled bottles such as an empty shampoo bottle, a glass bottle, or other plastic bottles to collect the free sanitiser.
Temasek Foundation, which is behind this initiative involving over 25,000 volunteers, said on Tuesday (March 17) that it is meant to support Singaporeans during the Covid-19 outbreak.
A pamphlet with a specified collection date will be delivered by Singapore Post to residents' mailboxes in the coming days to prevent overcrowding. Residents must bring along this pamphlet on the allocated date to get the sanitiser at any collection centre.
Temasek Foundation Cares chief executive Woon Saet Nyoon said social-distancing measures have been planned, such as ensuring a 1m gap in the queues.
"If there are more than 250 people who turn up at the same collection point at the same time, we will ask for their understanding to wait a while and come back after a short period," she said.
She was speaking to the media during a volunteer training session on Tuesday (March 17).
If residents miss their allocated date, they can collect their hand sanitiser from the 16 malls from March 30 to April 5 during the same collection hours.
The pamphlet will also provide information such as the seven-step hand-washing technique for good hand hygiene.
The hand sanitiser is non-alcohol based.
One of its active ingredients is benzalkonium chloride, a non-alcohol disinfectant that can be used against coronaviruses, according to Singapore's National Environment Agency as well as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in the European Union.
Temasek Holdings chairman Lim Boon Heng said: "We are very encouraged by the enthusiastic support and ideas from so many organisations and volunteers. Together, we share a common goal - to try our best to help Singapore stay prepared and resilient during this tough and uncertain time.
"We hope this sanitiser will come in handy for all Singapore residents, for everyone to pick up the habit of washing or sanitising our hands regularly."
Temasek Foundation Cares chairman Richard Magnus added: "Temasek Foundation and the stakeholders of this initiative stand in solidarity with the Government's plans and actions.
"We are leaving no stone unturned and will continue to help build social resilience and instil public confidence during this uncertain period."
