SINGAPORE - More than 3.1 million masks were collected by residents in Temasek Foundation's latest mask distribution drive, which ended on Sunday (Jan 23).

In response to inquiries from The Straits Times, a Temasek Foundation spokesman said that the collection figure for this round is slightly lower than the 4.1 million reusable masks collected at the last distribution, which was held in March last year.

He added that for this drive, close to 23,000 pre-orders for the mask were received.

The latest mask distribution drive by Temasek Foundation, which began on Jan 10, lasted two weeks. The free mask distribution was in its sixth run.

During the distribution period, residents could collect one MaskPure AIR+ reusable mask for free at any of the 1,000 #StayMasked vending machines available islandwide by entering their identity card numbers or scanning their identity cards.

The mask provides proven N95-grade filtration against PM2.5 and harmful particles, and antimicrobial protection against 99.9 per cent of viruses and bacteria, said Temasek Foundation. It also retains its protective features for up to 30 rinses or more than seven months if worn daily and rinsed weekly, the foundation added.

The spokesman said that similar to previous distributions, the masks that were uncollected will be redirected to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and front-line workers, who are in need of more masks.

On whether the foundation will be distributing more masks to residents this year, the spokesman said: "We will review at the end of this distribution exercise, and decide if there is a need to continue distributing Covid-19 care items, including masks, as well as how best to distribute these."