Three-ply surgical mask (in cotton or paper)
Price: 20 to 30 cents each, usually sold in 50s or 100s.
What it does: Doctors say these help prevent droplets from being dispersed into the air and infecting other people. But they will not protect the user from breathing in contaminated air.
When to change: After eight hours of use or when damp from condensation. Not re-usable.
Where to buy it: NTUC FairPrice, Guardian Health & Beauty, NTUC Healthcare Unity Pharmacy and Cold Storage outlets.
N95 respirator mask
Price: $2.45 to $3.95 apiece.
What it does: Helps prevent user from breathing in contaminated air when worn correctly. It blocks out 95 per cent of small particles.
Where to buy it: NTUC FairPrice, Guardian Health & Beauty, NTUC Healthcare Unity Pharmacy and Cold Storage outlets.
When to change: After eight hours of use or when damp. Not re-usable.
Totobobo mask
Price: $30
What it does: Its inventor claims that it blocks out 94 per cent of small particles.
Where to buy it: Medic Drugstore, Block 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-26/27.
When to change: Re-usable. Each filter, which costs $2.40 to $2.60, has to be changed after exposure to germs or when it turns grey.