Singapore has 16 million N95 face masks stockpiled in case the haze returns, the Government said in a Parliament session on Tuesday.

This is in addition to 280,000 masks already in the inventories of major retailers here, said Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim.

"We have also worked with the People's Association on plans to distribute the N95 masks to the needy through grassroots organisations," he said, adding that the masks will also be given to essential services workers when necessary.

Saying that the Government was "more prepared this time" if the haze returns, he nonetheless stressed that the masks were not necessary for short-term exposure to the particulate matter, such as trips from homes to offices or schools.

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