Haze School Closure in Singapore: MOE's Rules and N95 Masks

Schools in Singapore stay open during the current haze unless the next day's 24-hour PSI forecast reaches the Hazardous range (300 and above), the Education Minister said at a haze press conference on 16 October 2026. Below that level, MOE's plan keeps schools running and adjusts activities hour by hour using the 1-hour PM2.5 reading. If a closure does come, primary and secondary schools, MOE Kindergartens, ECDA-licensed preschools and school-based student care will still stay physically open for children who have nowhere else to go.

Separately, since 14 October Singaporean children aged 7 to 16 have been able to collect N95 masks at Community Clubs under a government distribution. Below: what each air-quality level means for a school day, the O-Levels, masks, and an evening routine for families.

Will schools close because of the haze?

Not on NEA's latest figures: its forecast for Friday 23 October is 101 to 150, and the 24-hour PSI at 3pm that day was 76 to 99, both below the Hazardous level of 300, and MOE has announced no closure. The 1-hour PM2.5 did reach the Elevated band that afternoon, the level at which schools stop prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity (see the next section). The next school day is Monday 26 October, and whether schools operate then depends on the forecast NEA publishes on the evening of Sunday 25 October. NEA expects the haze to improve on Sunday, but check the evening forecasts over the weekend. In his remarks at the 16 October haze press conference, Minister for Education Desmond Lee said MOE takes reference from NEA's 24-hour PSI forecast the evening before to decide whether preschools and schools operate the next day. Closure is considered when that forecast is Hazardous, at 300 and above.

MOE's haze management page (updated 16 October 2026) adds that a closure would be announced at around the same time as the health advisory, that schools will contact parents, and that notice may be short. It asks parents to arrange care in advance.

The Minister also warned of fake closure news on social media: rely only on MOE's official channels and Parents Gateway.

What happens at school at each PM2.5 level?

On the day itself, schools look at the 1-hour PM2.5 reading, which reflects conditions at that moment. The Minister set out three steps:

• Elevated (56 to 150 µg/m³): no prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical activity. Light indoor exercise may continue, but students who are unwell or have heart, lung or other conditions are excused. Air purifiers run in classrooms, labs, school halls and indoor sports halls.
• High (151 to 250): students stay in enclosed indoor spaces with air purifiers, avoid outdoor and strenuous indoor activities and eat meals indoors. School hours stay normal. Outdoor CCAs and camps move indoors where possible, or are postponed or cancelled.
• Very high (251 and above, during school hours): schools scale down lessons and suspend all physical and after-school activities.

MOE's haze page adds that all classrooms have air purifiers, that unwell students wait in an air-conditioned room with a purifier before seeing a doctor, with parents notified, and that children should always carry medication such as asthma inhalers.

What changes if the forecast reaches Hazardous?

If the next day's 24-hour PSI forecast is 300 or above, the Minister said MOE, MSF and ECDA will strongly encourage parents to keep infants and young children at home, and MOE will consider closing schools and moving to home-based learning for students from preschool up to secondary school. Kindergarten, early intervention and preschool Development Support programmes would be suspended.

For parents who cannot stay home, the fallback is explicit:

• MOE Kindergartens, Kindergarten Care and ECDA-licensed preschools stay physically open, with indoor activities such as reading and air purifiers in enclosed rooms.
• Primary and secondary schools, including SPED schools, and the student care centres inside them stay open to look after students with no other arrangement.
• Junior colleges, Millennia Institute, ITE, polytechnics and universities generally continue in-person lessons, because their students are older.

What about the O-Level and A-Level exams?

The Minister said O- and A-Level candidates sit their papers in enclosed, air-conditioned venues with air purifiers running. A candidate who is unwell and cannot take or continue a paper should see a doctor, get a medical certificate and apply for special consideration through their school.

If the 24-hour PSI forecast reaches Hazardous, MOE will consider rescheduling O-Level papers, in line with the health advice for younger students. A-Level papers are less likely to be affected. Any rescheduling would be announced publicly by SEAB, and schools would tell students and parents directly. Our guide to O-Level results and the 2027 JAE covers what follows the exams.

Can my child get an N95 mask from the Government?

Yes, if they are Singaporean and aged 7 to 16. NEA's 14 October update says the Government began a phased distribution of N95 masks to vulnerable Singaporeans, two per pack, after PM2.5 reached the Very High range:

• At Community Clubs, with an NRIC: pregnant women, children aged 7 to 16 and people with medical conditions such as asthma.
• At Community Clubs or mask vending machines at selected transport hubs, Social Service Offices and People's Association venues: Pioneer and Merdeka Generation seniors, CHAS Blue and Orange card holders, Medical Fee Exemption Card holders and ComCare recipients.

A family member can collect using the eligible person's NRIC. Masks reach collection points progressively, so NEA suggests checking the HazeMaskGoWhere site (go.gov.sg/hazemask), which shows eligibility, collection points and live vending-machine stock, before you go. Children under 7 are not on NEA's eligibility list.

NEA's mask guidance, which its air pollution FAQ moved from the PSI to the 1-hour PM2.5 reading on 19 October 2026, names the elderly, pregnant women and people with chronic heart or lung disease: they should avoid outdoor activity when the 1-hour PM2.5 is High (Band 3, 151 to 250 µg/m³) or higher, and may wear an N95 or equivalent mask if they must be outdoors for several hours; since 20 October the FAQ names KN95, FFP2 and KF94 masks as equivalents. Anyone who feels discomfort in one should take a break from it. For children, NEA's 22 October advisory, for 23 October, is to minimise prolonged or strenuous outdoor exertion and, when the 1-hour PM2.5 reading is Elevated, to avoid strenuous outdoor activity for the next hour. Its 17 October advisory, issued when the forecast was worse, added that when the reading is High children should avoid all outdoor activity for the next hour and may wear a mask to reduce exposure.

Air-conditioned rooms at Community Clubs and selected Residents' Committee and Residents' Network centres serve as haze shelters. If the 24-hour PSI turns Hazardous, the Community Club shelters stay open until 10pm.

A school-night routine while the haze lasts

Our suggestion, built on MOE's and NEA's rules:

1. After NEA's evening update: read the 24-hour PSI forecast for tomorrow on NEA's website or the myENV app. Below 300, plan a normal school day. At 300 or above, watch Parents Gateway and your school's message for a closure decision.
2. Decide the care plan the night before: who stays home, who can step in, or whether your child goes to school or student care for supervision. Our guide to comparing student-care centres helps if you use one.
3. Pack the bag: inhaler or other medication, a water bottle and, if your child must be outdoors for long, a mask.
4. In the morning: check the 1-hour PM2.5 band on the myENV app or haze.gov.sg before the walk or bus ride, and keep travel time outdoors short when it is High.
5. Have an indoor fallback for the weekend: our Plan B for family outings helps when a park day has to move indoors.

Parents who may need to stay home can check their entitlement in our guide to childcare leave and the NDR 2026 changes. More school guides are in our learning topic.

Common questions