Keeping the haze out: Malls shut automated doors, suspend outdoor activities

A sign at VivoCity on Oct 16 stating that an automated door is closed to keep the haze out.

ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Published Oct 16, 2026, 02:40 PM

Updated Oct 16, 2026, 06:38 PM

Singapore malls are closing automated doors and outdoor areas to protect shoppers and staff as haze stays unhealthy for a 12th day.

Lendlease, Far East Organization and CapitaLand Investment are cleaning filters, checking air systems and giving N95 masks to workers with outdoor exposure.

Malls are following NEA advice and may change access or suspend events; past haze cost Singapore $1.83 billion in 2015, according to NTU researchers.

SINGAPORE – As Singapore entered the 12th consecutive day of unhealthy air on Oct 16, major retail landlords told The Straits Times they were taking steps to reduce haze exposure for shoppers, tenants and staff.

Lendlease, Far East Organization and CapitaLand Investment have stepped up air filter cleaning and monitoring for their air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV) systems.

To protect people indoors, they are keeping automated mall entrances shut, with landlords such as Lendlease and CapitaLand Investments distributing N95 masks to employees and contractors facing prolonged outdoor exposure.

At noon on Oct 16, the hourly PM2.5 readings across the island hit the “high” range, which is above 150, while the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in the western, central and eastern Singapore remained in the “very unhealthy” range above 200.

Singapore’s PSI has five bands – good (0-50), moderate (51-100), unhealthy (101-200), very unhealthy (201-300) and hazardous (more than 300).

A CapitaLand Investment spokesman said management may reduce outdoor airflow at its malls – including Ion Orchard, Plaza Singapura, Tampines Mall, Junction 8, Funan and Kallang Wave Wall – by closing windows and automatic sliding doors where possible and directing shoppers to alternative entrances.

Outdoor facilities at the malls may also be closed when air quality reaches unhealthy levels, the spokesperson added.

A sign on the sliding entrance doors at Junction 8 stated they were disabled to maintain indoor air quality as pollutant levels hit the unhealthy range , directing shoppers to use the side entrances instead.

Deborah Tan, director for operations and marketing at Far East Organization’s commercial group, said mall tenants with exterior exits have also been advised to keep their entrances closed.

Far East Organization’s portfolio of malls include Orchard Central, Clarke Quay Central, Square 2 and One Holland Village.

Tenants at One Holland Village, which has a more open layout, have been advised to keep their shop doors closed where suitable, while outdoor events have been rescheduled to November.

Tan added that they are monitoring updates from the National Environment Agency (NEA) closely and will adjust their safety approach as conditions develop.

Jenny Khoo, head of retail and workspace management at Lendlease, said staff are encouraged to prioritise their well-being and discuss any concerns with their supervisors, and that flexible work arrangements “may be considered where appropriate”.

She added that under normal conditions, the malls’ ACMV air filters are cleaned and replaced on a stringent maintenance schedule. When haze conditions worsen, management steps up active monitoring of indoor air quality and filter performance, and carries out additional replacements.

Khoo added that management has also enhanced the malls’ air quality with bi-polar ionisation systems, which release positive and negative ions to eliminate dust, odours and pathogens such as bacteria and viruses.

Retail malls in Lendlease’s portfolio include Parkway Parade, 313@somerset, Jem and PLQ Mall.

Khoo said outdoor play areas at Lendlease malls, such as Jem, may close temporarily when the 24-hour PSI reading exceeds 200.

“Lendlease takes precautionary measures guided by prevailing NEA advisories, including suspending outdoor facilities and activities,” she added.

Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust, which manages VivoCity, declined to comment, although one of its entrances featured a sign stating it was closed to keep the haze out.

VivoCity’s level-three rooftop features an open, shallow wading pool, while level two has free-to-access outdoor playgrounds alongside children’s ride operator ZooMoov.

The Singapore Institute of International Affairs had in June issued a rare “red” warning in its Haze Outlook 2026 report, and said there was a high risk of severe transboundary haze affecting Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

The total cost of the two-month 2015 haze on Singapore was estimated at $1.83 billion, about 0.45% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). This was according to a 2021 paper published in the Journal of Asian Economics by Professor Euston Quah , Albert Winsemius, Chair Professor and head of economics at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Associate Professor Chia Wai Mun from NTU, and Dr Tan Tsiat Siong from the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Their estimation covered five areas: the adverse impacts of haze on health; loss in tourism; loss in business as an indirect effect from loss of tourist receipts; productivity loss due to restricted activity days; and the cost of mitigation and adaptation by government agencies and households.

Alyssa Woo is a business correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes about how retail and work spaces are used and evolve with the times, as well as personal finance stories for the Invest section.

10 月 16 日，怡丰城 (VivoCity) 的一块告示牌显示，为了防止雾霾进入，自动门已关闭。

《海峡时报》摄影：JASON QUAH

发布于2026年10月16日下午2:40

更新于2026年10月16日下午6:38

由于雾霾连续第 12 天对健康造成危害，新加坡各大商场纷纷关闭自动门和户外区域，以保护顾客和员工的健康。

Lendlease、远东机构和凯德集团正在清洁过滤器、检查空气系统，并向户外作业的工人发放 N95 口罩。

各大商场正在遵循国家环境局的建议，可能会改变入场方式或暂停活动；据南洋理工大学研究人员称，2015 年雾霾给新加坡造成了 18.3 亿美元的损失。

新加坡——10月16日，新加坡连续第12天空气质量不佳，主要零售业主告诉《海峡时报》，他们正在采取措施减少购物者、租户和员工接触雾霾的风险。

Lendlease、远东机构和凯德集团已加强对其空调和机械通风（ACMV）系统的空气过滤器清洁和监测。

为了保护室内人员，商场关闭了自动入口，像 Lendlease 和 CapitaLand Investments 这样的业主向面临长时间户外暴露的员工和承包商分发 N95 口罩。

10 月 16 日中午，全岛 PM2.5 小时读数达到“高”级别，超过 150，而新加坡西部、中部和东部的 24 小时污染物标准指数 (PSI) 仍处于“非常不健康”级别，超过 200。

新加坡的空气质量指数 (PSI) 分为五个等级——良好 (0-50)、中等 (51-100)、不健康 (101-200)、非常不健康 (201-300) 和危险 (超过 300)。

凯德集团发言人表示，管理层可能会通过尽可能关闭窗户和自动滑动门，并引导购物者使用其他入口，来减少旗下商场（包括ION Orchard、Plaza Singapura、Tampines Mall、Junction 8、Funan和Kallang Wave Wall）的室外空气流通。

发言人补充说，当空气质量达到不健康水平时，商场的户外设施也可能会关闭。

8 号交叉路口的滑动入口门上贴着一张告示，称由于污染物水平达到不健康范围，为保持室内空气质量，这些门已停用，并指示购物者改用侧门。

远东机构商业集团运营及市场总监黛博拉·谭表示，已建议设有外部出口的商场租户保持入口关闭。

远东机构旗下的购物中心包括乌节中央城、克拉码头中心、Square 2 和荷兰村一号。

位于布局较为开放的 One Holland Village 的租户已被告知，在条件允许的情况下，应保持店铺大门关闭，而户外活动已重新安排至 11 月举行。

Tan补充说，他们正在密切关注国家环境局（NEA）的最新动态，并将根据情况发展调整安全措施。

Lendlease 零售和办公空间管理主管 Jenny Khoo 表示，公司鼓励员工优先考虑自身福祉，并与主管讨论任何疑虑，并“在适当情况下考虑灵活的工作安排”。

她补充说，正常情况下，商场的空调通风系统过滤器会按照严格的维护计划进行清洁和更换。当雾霾情况恶化时，管理层会加强对室内空气质量和过滤器性能的主动监测，并进行额外的更换。

Khoo补充说，管理层还通过双极电离系统提高了商场的空气质量，该系统释放正负离子，以消除灰尘、异味和细菌、病毒等病原体。

Lendlease旗下的零售商场包括百汇广场、313@somerset、Jem和PLQ购物中心。

Khoo表示，当24小时PSI读数超过200时，Lendlease旗下购物中心（如Jem）的户外游乐区可能会暂时关闭。

她补充说：“Lendlease 采取了根据国家环境局现行建议制定的预防措施，包括暂停户外设施和活动。”

管理怡丰城的丰树泛亚商业信托拒绝置评，尽管怡丰城的一个入口处贴有告示，称因雾霾而关闭。

怡丰城三楼屋顶设有一个开放式浅水池，二楼则设有免费开放的户外游乐场以及儿童游乐设施运营商 ZooMoov。

新加坡国际事务研究所6月份在其《2026年雾霾展望》报告中罕见地发布了“红色”警告，称严重的跨境雾霾有很高的风险会影响文莱、印度尼西亚、马来西亚和新加坡。

据2021年发表在《亚洲经济学杂志》上的一篇论文估计，2015年持续两个月的雾霾给新加坡造成的总损失高达18.3亿美元，约占该国国内生产总值（GDP）的0.45%。该论文由南洋理工大学（NTU）经济学系主任兼讲座教授柯宇森（Euston Quah）、南洋理工大学经济学系主任阿尔伯特·温塞米乌斯（Albert Winsemius）、南洋理工大学经济学系副教授谢伟文（Chia Wai Mun）以及新加坡社会科学大学的陈志雄（Tan Tsiat Siong）博士共同撰写。

他们的评估涵盖了五个方面：雾霾对健康的不利影响；旅游业的损失；旅游收入损失造成的间接商业损失；因活动日受限而导致的生产力损失；以及政府机构和家庭的缓解和适应成本。

Alyssa Woo是《海峡时报》的商业记者。她撰写有关零售和办公空间如何随着时代发展而演变的文章，也为投资版块撰写个人理财方面的文章。