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Temasek Foundation partners People's Association, corporates, unions, universities, and community organisations to provide free hand sanitiser to Singapore households

  • All residential households may collect 500ml of FREE zero alcohol hand sanitiser
  • Collection pamphlets will be sent to all households in the coming days
  • Interested households should also bring their own clean reusable bottle/s
  • Collection dates as follows:
    • 23 – 29 March at any 109 Community Clubs (CCs) around Singapore
    • 23 March – 5 April at any participating CapitaLand malls1

 

Singapore, 17 March 2020 – Temasek Foundation greatly appreciates the support of People’s Association, CapitaLand, SG Cares, Singapore Post, SP Group and many other local partners, to provide up to half a litre of alcohol-free hand sanitiser to almost 1.5 million households in Singapore. This is part of a Stay Prepared initiative to support the Singapore community during the current COVID-19 outbreak.

The World Health Organisation2 has recommended that regular handwashing with soap and water is an effective way of preventing the spread of viruses and other germs. However, hand sanitisers are especially useful when there are no convenient hand washing facilities available. Apart from alcohol-based hand sanitisers, there are also safe broad spectrum non-alcohol based sanitisers which can be considered.

Based on the interim guidelines from the National Environment Agency3 of Singapore, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control4 (ECDC) in the European Union, 0.05% of benzalkonium chloride or BKC is one of the non-alcohol disinfectants that can be used against coronaviruses.

Temasek Foundation is supplying 500ml of 0.054% BKC sanitiser to every household in Singapore. It is a water-based zero alcohol hand sanitiser, which is not flammable. It is also not toxic or corrosive, and does not stain clothing, or irritate the skin.

The hand sanitiser will be available for collection around Singapore over two weeks, from 23 March to 29 March 2020 at any of the 109 CCs around Singapore, and from 23 March to 5 April 2020, at 16 participating CapitaLand malls. In other words, during the first week on 23-29 March (Mon-Sun) of the #BYOBclean community rollout, residents may collect from either the 109 CCs or the 16 participating CapitaLand malls. In the following week of 30 March – 5 April (Mon-Sun), residents may collect from any of the 16 participating CapitaLand malls.

Interested households should bring along these two items to any of the above venues to collect their 500ml of sanitiser solution:

1.    A #BYOBclean collection pamphlet

2.    One or more empty and clean bottles


1.           #BYOBclean Pamphlet

All households are encouraged to look out for the pamphlet that will be delivered by Singapore Post to their mailboxes in the coming days.

 

Residents should note the specified collection date on their pamphlet. They must bring along their pamphlet to collect their free sanitiser at any collection centre.

Each pamphlet will entitle the resident to collect up to 500ml of hand sanitiser.

In addition to the collection details, the pamphlet also provides useful information such as the seven-step hand-washing technique to ensure good hand hygiene5. Hand hygiene is an important precaution to minimise or prevent the transmission of germs that cause respiratory infections like flu, common cold, and COVID-19.

2.             Bring Your Own Bottle

Residents must bring their own clean, recycled bottle(s) to collect their free hand sanitiser. This #BYOBclean approach is part of our collective responsibility to reuse and recycle bottles and reduce waste.

The recycled bottles may be an empty shampoo bottle, a glass bottle, or an ordinary PET or other plastic bottles. Residents may also bring up to 5 smaller bottles, so long as each bottle has at least 100ml of capacity. Volunteers will affix a special label to each bottle, before residents fill their own bottles with 500ml of sanitiser solution.

A special thank you to our 25,000 volunteers and partners

Temasek Foundation wishes to thank the 25,000 corporate, community and university volunteers6 who have stepped forward to support this initiative. They will be helping to prepare and distribute the hand sanitiser during the 2-week long exercise.

Organisations such as the Migrant Workers Centre, CapitaLand, SBS Transit and SMRT have also extended their support by helping to develop and refine our collection process.

Mr Desmond Tan, Chief Executive Director of the People’s Association, said, “PA is happy to support Temasek Foundation for the #BYOBclean initiative. It is heartening to see corporates and community organisations stepping forward to help the community during this COVID-19 outbreak. Our grassroots volunteers are happy to support our partners in reaching out to our residents. We look forward to the continued support from Temasek Foundation to serve our residents better.”

Mr Tan Seng Chai, Chief Corporate & People Officer for CapitaLand Group and Executive Director of CapitaLand Hope Foundation, said: “It has been all hands on deck for us at CapitaLand since the Ministry of Health raised Singapore’s DORSCON level to Orange in early February. The health and well-being of our customers, staff and the community remain our topmost concern as we put in place all the necessary precautionary measures at our properties. Temasek Foundation’s Stay Prepared initiative is another opportunity for CapitaLand to play our part meaningfully. The enthusiastic response from our staff volunteers strongly demonstrates that we are all in this together with the community.”

During the #BYOBclean grassroots volunteers training at Pasir Ris Elias Community Club, Mr Lim Boon Heng, Chairman, Temasek, said, “Doing Good for the community is at the heart of Temasek’s DNA. We are very encouraged by the enthusiastic support and ideas from so many organisations and volunteers. Together, we share a common goal – to try our best to help Singapore stay prepared and resilient during this tough and uncertain time. We hope this sanitiser will come in handy for all Singapore residents, for everyone to pick up the habit of washing or sanitising our hands regularly.”

Mr Richard Magnus, Chairman, Temasek Foundation Cares, said, “We would like to thank People’s Association, CapitaLand, Singapore Post and the SP Group. They and many other corporate and community organisations and volunteers have generously lent their support to this logistical undertaking. This is part of a radical and comprehensive battle plan to enable our community to overcome COVID-19. Temasek Foundation and the stakeholders of this initiative stand in solidarity with the government’s plans and actions. We are leaving no stone unturned and will continue to help build social resilience and instill public confidence during this uncertain period.”

Temasek Foundation initiatives to combat COVID-19

Temasek Foundation has been working with multiple partners to provide support in and outside Singapore, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

These include providing sanitisers to frontline workers in the public transport, immigration, quarantine oversight, community healthcare service providers7 and many others.

Temasek Foundation recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak requires a global response to combat against this global pandemic. By containing or slowing its spread, we can reduce the cost to human lives and livelihoods. Each of us, individuals, companies, governments and various institutions can do our part to help break the infection transmission.

#BYOBclean is enabled by the T-PREP Fund, managed by Temasek Foundation since 2014. Other Stay Prepared initiatives included the distribution of N95 masks to all 1.2 million households nationwide in 2014, to prepare the community for potential severe haze or a flu pandemic. During the 2015 severe haze in South East Asia, AIR+ Smart Masks and Micro Ventilators were distributed to 13,000 children from low-income families and children’s homes, as well as to 29,000 elderly aged 60 years and above and staying in an HDB rental flat.

For more information about the #BYOBclean initiative, members of the public may visit stayprepared.sg/BYOBclean, or call the hotline at 1800-738-2000, from 9am to 9pm daily between 16 March to 5 April 2020. Please also refer to the factsheet accompanying this release.

###

For media enquiries, please contact:

Joshua Wong

Associate Director

Temasek Foundation

Mobile: 8180 0741

Email: joshuawong@temasekfoundation.org.sg

 

About Temasek Foundation

Temasek Foundation supports programmes that uplift lives and communities in Singapore and beyond. We aim to strengthen social resilience, foster international exchange and enhance regional capabilities, and advance science and nature for a sustainable world.

For more information, visit www.temasekfoundation.org.sg.

About Stay Prepared Programmes

Stay Prepared helps to prepare the Singapore community for emergencies like major accidents, natural disasters, pandemics, severe haze or terrorist attacks. It is supported by the Temasek Emergency Preparedness Fund, managed by Temasek Foundation.

 

Annex A

Chinese Terms

Temasek Foundation

淡马锡基金会

Temasek Emergency Preparedness Fund

淡马锡紧急预备基金

‘Stay Prepared’ Initiative

“未雨绸缪”倡议

Mr Lim Boon Heng

Chairman

Temasek Holdings

林文兴先生

淡马锡控股董事长

Mr Richard Magnus

Chairman

Temasek Foundation Cares

马格纳斯先生

淡马锡关怀基金会主席

Mr Desmond Tan

Chief Executive Director

People’s Association

陈国明先生

人民协会总执行理事长

Dr Ang Hak Seng

Deputy Secretary

SG Cares

Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth

洪合成博士

副常任秘书

关爱新加坡行动

文化、社区及青年部

Mr Tan Seng Chai

Chief Corporate & People Officer for CapitaLand Group and Executive Director of

CapitaLand Hope Foundation

陈成才先生

­­凯德集团首席企业与人力官兼

凯德希望基金执行董事

Mr Wong Kim Yin

Group Chief Executive Officer

SP Group

黄锦贤先生

集团总裁

新加坡能源

Paul Coutts

Group Chief Executive Officer

Singapore Post

保罗•库茨先生

集团总裁

新邮政

Community Clubs/Community Centres

民众俱乐部/民众联络所

Grassroots Leaders/Grassroots Volunteers

基层领袖/基层义工

Grassroots Organisations

基层组织

People’s Association Grassroots Movement

人民协会基层运动

 

Annex B

Quotes from #BYOBclean Partners

Dr Ang Hak Seng,

Deputy Secretary

SG Cares

Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth

 

 

“This is a good example of the public, private and people sectors coming together to stand by each other and to serve Singaporeans in need. Corporates, students and community volunteers all play a big part in making this possible. This is a strong testament of the national SG Cares Movement that seeks to build a caring and inclusive home through acts of care, consideration and active volunteerism. It is our commitment to build a caring and inclusive home that is resilient in times of crisis.”

Paul Coutts,

Group Chief Executive Officer,

Singapore Post

“As Singapore’s postal service provider, SingPost is proud to be part of the #BYOBclean@SG initiative to help tackle the current COVID-19 health crisis, where over 1,000 postmen will be activated to deliver the pamphlets to 1.5 million households. We are committed to playing our part in this multilateral partnership involving both the private and public sectors, as a show of unity by Singapore companies and organisations during this tough and uncertain time.”

 

Mr Wong Kim Yin,

Group Chief Executive Officer,

SP Group

“We stand together as a nation to keep our community safe. Our employees have come forward as volunteers to help at the hand sanitiser distribution centres. For this mass outreach to all households, we have also set up a dedicated public phone hotline to answer any questions. SP Group is happy that we can contribute to this meaningful effort, alongside Temasek and other partners.”

 

 

 

 

Annex C

List of #BYOBclean Volunteer Partners

1

ABC World Asia

34

Olam International Limited

2

AETOS Holdings Pte Ltd

35

Pavilion Capital Holdings Pte Ltd

3

Asia Pulp & Paper Company Ltd

36

People’s Association

4

Azalea Asset Management

37

PSA International

5

CapitaLand Limited

38

PwC Singapore

6

CEI Limited

39

RGE

7

Centre for Domestic Employees

40

RSVP Singapore
The Organisation of Senior Volunteers

8

Certis CISCO Security Pte Ltd

41

SATS Ltd

9

Clifford Capital Pte Ltd

42

SBS Transit Ltd

10

Development Bank of Singapore Ltd

43

SeaTown International Pte Ltd

11

Ensign InfoSecurity (Systems) Pte Ltd

44

Sembcorp Industries Limited

12

Eu Yan Sang International Limited

45

Sheares Healthcare Group Pte Ltd

13

EY

46

Singapore Airlines

14

Football Association of Singapore & Clubs from the Singapore Premier League

47

Singapore Airport Terminal Services Workers Union

15

Fullerton Financial Holdings Pt Ltd

48

Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan

16

Fullerton Fund Management Company Ltd

49

Singapore Institute of Technology

17

GEODIS

50

Singapore Management University

18

Golden Agri-Resources Ltd

51

Singapore Pools (Pte) Ltd

19

Keppel Corporation

52

Singapore Power

20

KOP Limited

53

Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd

21

Kuok (Singapore) Limited

54

Singapore Telecommunications Limited

22

Land Transport Authority

55

Singapore University of Social Sciences

23

Life Community Services Society

56

SingEx Holdings

24

Mandai Park Holdings Pte Ltd

57

SMRT Corporation Ltd

25

Mediacorp Pte Ltd

58

Soilbuild Group Holdings Ltd

26

Migrant Workers’ Centre

59

ST Telemedia

27

Montigo Resorts Pte Ltd

60

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres

28

Nanyang Technological University

61

Surbana Jurong Pte Ltd

29

National University of Singapore

62

Team Nila

30

National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre

63

Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory

31

NTUC First Campus Co-operative Ltd

64

Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities

32

NTUC Health Co-operative Ltd (Active Ageing Hub)

65

Vertex Ventures Holdings

33

OKH Global Ltd

66

YMCA of Singapore

 

END

 

1 The 16 participating CapitaLand malls are Bedok Mall; Bugis Junction; Bugis+; Bukit Panjang Plaza; Clarke Quay; Funan; IMM; JCube; Junction 8; Lot One Shoppers’ Mall; Plaza Singapura; Raffles City Singapore; SingPost Centre; Tampines Mall; The Star Vista; and Westgate. SingPost Centre and The Star Vista are CapitaLand managed malls.

2 https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

3 https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/public-cleanliness/environmental-cleaning-guidelines/guidelines/interim-list-of-household-products-and-active-ingredients-for-disinfection-of-covid-19

4 https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/coronavirus-SARS-CoV-2-guidance-environmental-cleaning-non-healthcare-facilities.pdf

5 The seven steps to ensure good hand hygiene are to wash: (i) palm to palm; (ii) between fingers; (iii) back of hands; (iv) base of thumbs; (v) back of fingers; (vi) fingernails; and (vii) wrists.

6 Please refer to Annex C for full list of volunteer organisations.

7 Community organisations include Care Corner Singapore, Filos Community Services, Loving Heart Multi-Service Centre, National Kidney Foundation Integrated Renal Centre, Sian Chay Medical Institution, and Tzu Chi Day Rehabilitation Centre.

 

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