Few use Singapore haze shelters, but visitors welcome respite from heat

CNA visited eight shelters across the island, finding most empty or locked, though the few who turned up welcomed the free air-conditioned refuge.

Retiree Low Cheng Yang, in his late 60s, sits in a haze shelter at Toa Payoh Central Community Club, Oct 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)

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SINGAPORE: Haze shelters across Singapore sat largely empty on Saturday (Oct 17), with only a handful of residents trickling in to seek respite from the stifling combination of heat and polluted air.

When CNA visited eight designated shelters across the island in the afternoon, only two were occupied. The remaining six were either unoccupied or locked because no one was using them.

At Toa Payoh Central Community Club, just three residents were seen in the air-conditioned room.

Among them was retiree Ms Poh Suan, 67, who spent the morning keeping her flat’s windows tightly shut to keep out the haze, which left her home hot and stuffy.

Reluctant to turn on her air-conditioner, she and her husband, 64-year-old Lim Kim Chua, decided to drop by the shelter instead.

"The haze has been very bad for me, especially because I have eczema. In the air-conditioned room it feels slightly better because I am not so sweaty," said Ms Poh, who is retired. It was her first time visiting a haze shelter.

She added that she intended to spend an hour reading in the haze shelter before heading home.

Another visitor, retiree Low Cheng Yang, said the shelter offered a welcome breather, adding that he had visited the shelter previously.

"It is very stuffy and humid outside," said Mr Low, who is in his late 60s. "(The haze shelter) is good, at least people can hide from the heat.”

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The air-conditioned shelter, which appeared to be able to accommodate more than 20 people based on the number of tables and chairs present, saw little use for most of the day.

Elsewhere, at Kreta Ayer Community Club, Ms Florence Ong, 40, was also appreciative of the free-to-use facility, noting that it offered respite from the haze without needing residents to turn on the air-conditioner at home all day.

"If [the haze] is really bad and it is not comfortable, then you just come here instead of switching on the air-conditioner for 24 hours," said the financial consultant. This was her second time at the shelter.

She was there with her brother and mother. The trio had stopped by to enjoy the air-conditioning after having lunch nearby.

The government began rolling out stepped-up haze measures on Wednesday after hourly PM2.5 readings reached the very high band for the first time this season.

These measures include the distribution of N95 masks to eligible Singaporeans, including pregnant women, children aged seven to 16 and people with medical conditions such as asthma.

A couple reading in a haze shelter at Toa Payoh Central Community Club, Oct 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA/ Wallace Woon)

Chairs lined up by a window at a haze shelter in the Kreta Ayer Community Club, Oct 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)

OPERATING HOURS AND ACCESS

As of Wednesday, over 350 haze shelters have been set up at community clubs, residents’ committee centres and residents’ networks, according to the People’s Association website.

Haze shelters at community centres are open from 10am to 6pm, while those at residents’ committee (RC) centres and residents’ networks (RN) have different operating hours. Residents can contact their nearest RC and RN regarding their operating hours.

Several of the shelters listed on the website were empty when CNA visited on Saturday.

For example, at Toa Payoh East Community Club, the air-conditioned room had two rows of tables and chairs set out in front of a whiteboard.

Chairs and tables lined up in front of a whiteboard in a haze shelter in Toa Payoh East Community Club, Oct 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)

Chairs stacked in an empty haze shelter at Block 34 Upper Cross Street, Oct 17, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)

The haze shelter at Kreta Ayer RN was also empty when CNA visited, with chairs lined up along the walls. The room also had posters that reminded residents of good housekeeping practices, including switching off the light when not in use.

At some haze shelters within RNs, there were digital door access systems that allowed residents to enter. Shelters without such a system required residents to approach staff to use the facilities.

At community centres, signs were placed to direct residents to the shelters.

The low turnout at the haze shelters came as air quality improved slightly on Saturday compared with the day before.

All ActiveSG outdoor sports facilities resumed operations after they were temporarily shut the previous day.

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CNA走访了岛上八个避难所，发现大多数避难所空无一人或大门紧闭，不过少数前来避难的人对这个免费的空调避难所表示欢迎。

2026年10月17日，年近七旬的退休人士刘成阳坐在大巴窑中心民众俱乐部的烟雾避难所里。（图片：CNA/Wallace Woon）

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新加坡：周六（10 月 17 日），新加坡各地的雾霾避难所大多空无一人，只有少数居民零星地前来寻求喘息之机，以躲避酷热和污染空气的双重折磨。

当天下午，CNA记者走访了岛上八个指定的避难所，发现只有两个有人居住。其余六个要么空无一人，要么因为无人使用而被锁上。

在大巴窑中心民众俱乐部，只有三名居民在空调房内。

其中包括67岁的退休人士Poh Suan女士，她一上午都紧紧关着公寓的窗户，以阻挡雾霾，这使得她的家又热又闷。

她不愿打开空调，于是和她64岁的丈夫林金蔡决定去收容所看看。

“雾霾对我的影响非常大，尤其是我还有湿疹。在有空调的房间里感觉好一些，因为我不会那么容易出汗，”退休的波女士说道。这是她第一次入住雾霾避难所。

她还表示，她打算在避难所里读一个小时的书，然后再回家。

另一位访客，退休人士刘成阳表示，庇护所提供了一个令人欣慰的喘息之机，并补充说他之前也来过这个庇护所。

“外面又闷又湿，”年近七旬的罗先生说。“（防霾棚）还不错，至少人们可以躲避酷暑。”

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根据摆放的桌椅数量来看，这个配备空调的避难所似乎可以容纳 20 多人，但一天中的大部分时间里却很少有人使用。

在克雷塔亚社区俱乐部，40岁的Florence Ong女士也对这项免费设施表示赞赏，她指出，这项设施让人们可以暂时摆脱雾霾，而无需整天在家开空调。

“如果雾霾真的很严重，让人很不舒服，那就来这里避难，而不是24小时开空调，”这位财务顾问说道。这是她第二次来这个避难所。

她和哥哥、母亲一起在那里。三人午饭后在附近吃过饭，顺便来这里吹吹空调。

周三，PM2.5 小时读数首次达到本季最高级别，政府开始推出更严格的雾霾治理措施。

这些措施包括向符合条件的新加坡人分发 N95 口罩，包括孕妇、7 至 16 岁的儿童以及患有哮喘等疾病的人。

2026年10月17日，一对情侣在大巴窑中央民众俱乐部的烟雾避难所内阅读。（图片：CNA/Wallace Woon）

2026年10月17日，克雷塔亚社区俱乐部烟雾避难所的窗边摆放着一排椅子。（图片：CNA/Wallace Woon）

营业时间和交通方式

据人民协会网站消息，截至周三，已在社区俱乐部、居民委员会中心和居民网络设立了超过350个雾霾避难所。

社区中心的烟雾避难所开放时间为上午10点至下午6点，而居民委员会中心和居民网络中心的避难所开放时间则有所不同。居民可联系就近的居民委员会中心和居民网络中心了解具体开放时间。

CNA 记者周六到访时发现，网站上列出的几个收容所都是空的。

例如，在大巴窑东民众俱乐部，空调房里摆放着两排桌椅，前面是一块白板。

2026年10月17日，大巴窑东民众俱乐部烟雾避难所内，桌椅整齐地摆放在白板前。（图片：CNA/Wallace Woon）

2026年10月17日，位于上十字街34座的空置避霾棚内堆放着椅子。（图片：CNA/Wallace Woon）

当护理助理（CNA）到访克雷塔艾尔养老院（Kreta Ayer RN）时，那里的烟雾避难所也空无一人，椅子沿着墙边摆放着。房间里还贴着海报，提醒居民保持良好的卫生习惯，例如不用灯时关灯。

在一些皇家海军医院的烟雾避难所里，设有电子门禁系统，方便居民进入。而没有此类系统的避难所，居民则需要主动联系工作人员才能使用设施。

社区中心设置了指示牌，引导居民前往避难所。

尽管周六空气质量比前一天略有改善，但雾霾避难所的到访人数仍然很少。

ActiveSG所有户外运动设施在前一天暂时关闭后已恢复运营。

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