The 24-hour PSI was between 106 and 148 across Singapore at 2pm on Monday 12 October, all in the unhealthy band of 101 to 200 (The Online Citizen); CNA and the Straits Times also reported unhealthy air, and AsiaOne said the 24-hour PSI is forecast to stay in that range. Subsidised treatment for haze-related conditions took effect at Public Health Preparedness Clinics and polyclinics on 12 October (CNA). Doctors said weekly flu activity is the highest since 2024 and haze can worsen respiratory conditions (CNA). Public transport operators are making N95 masks available to workers, and at least five races and running-club events were cancelled (Straits Times). MUIS said mosques remain open for prayers, with arrangements adjustable if the haze worsens (CNA, Straits Times). NEA is tracking hotspots and sources; the Straits Times said the readings are enough to trigger the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, that the last notices to Indonesian firms were sent in 2015 and that investigations into four companies remain open. Indonesia’s President Prabowo ordered tougher action on fires (Straits Times). Schools in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Putrajaya close on 13 October (Straits Times), and Firefly extended Seletar–Subang cancellations to 13 October (Straits Times).
Haze is a health issue first. Fine particles reach deep into the lungs, and children, older people and people with asthma, heart or lung conditions are most at risk. The subsidy lowers the cost of seeing a doctor early, and the legal route shows the haze is now a question of who is responsible, not only of how to cope.
Check the 24-hour PSI and the one-hour PM2.5 on the NEA website or the myENV app before outdoor plans, and cut back on strenuous activity when the air is unhealthy. If you have asthma or allergic rhinitis, or a child or parent at higher risk, ask an enrolled clinic about the S
Treating the haze under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act signals that Singapore will pursue those responsible, and day-by-day school decisions in Malaysia let officials react to the readings as they change.
The 2015 notices led to investigations that remain open eleven years later, and parents in Malaysia say day-by-day closures make it hard to plan. Subsidised care helps after harm has started; fewer fires are the real fix.
The slight easing in places is a matter of wind, not of fewer fires, so do not read it as the end. Watch three things today: the NEA forecast, whether the enrolled clinics handle the subsidy smoothly, and whether Indonesia’s tougher orders show up as fewer hotspots. Persistent smoke would carry the problem deep into the week.
CNA, The Straits Times, AsiaOne, The Online Citizen (12 Oct 2026)
Haze stays unhealthy across Singapore as the SHaze stays unhealthy across Singapore as the S$10 treatment subsidy begins and NEA tracks the fires behind it
The 24-hour PSI was 106 to 148 at 2pm on Monday, in the unhealthy band in every region. Malaysia is closing schools in four more areas today.
Air quality stayed in the unhealthy range across Singapore on Monday. At 2pm the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was between 106 and 148 in every region, The Online Citizen reported, which puts all of them in the unhealthy band of 101 to 200. CNA and the Straits Times also described the air as unhealthy, and AsiaOne said the 24-hour PSI is forecast to stay in that range. NEA, the National Environment Agency, uses the 24-hour PSI together with the one-hour PM2.5 reading, which measures fine particles small enough to reach deep into the lungs. DailyDrop has not seen the evening readings, so check NEA directly before you plan the day.
The first health measure took effect on Monday. Subsidised treatment for haze-related conditions began at Public Health Preparedness Clinics, the private GP clinics enrolled in the scheme, and at polyclinics, CNA reported, with eligible Singaporeans paying no more than S$10. Doctors told CNA that weekly flu activity is the highest since 2024 and that haze can worsen breathing problems, especially in older people, young children, pregnant women and people with heart or lung conditions. The Straits Times reported that public bus and rail operators are making N95 masks available to staff, that delivery riders can collect free N95 masks through their association, and that at least five races and running-club events have been cancelled. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) said mosques stay open for daily and Friday prayers with precautions, and arrangements may change if the haze worsens (CNA, Straits Times).
Attention is turning to the source. NEA is tracking fire hotspots and where the smoke comes from, CNA reported. The Straits Times said the unhealthy readings are enough to trigger the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, which allows legal action against companies that cause haze in Singapore even when they operate overseas. The last time NEA sent notices to firms in Indonesia was during the 2015 crisis, and investigations into four companies remain open, the Straits Times said. Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto ordered tougher action against the fires, the paper added, while foreign offers of help were not discussed. DailyDrop has not seen NEA name any company this time.
The smoke is also closing classrooms and runways across the Causeway. The Straits Times reported that schools in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Putrajaya will shut today, and that schools which stay open must monitor outdoor activity. Malaysia’s education minister, Fadhlina Sidek, defended taking closure decisions day by day after some parents asked for several days at a time, CNA said. The Straits Times counted 22 Malaysian areas with unhealthy readings on Monday morning, the worst being Kota Tinggi in Johor at 170 on Malaysia’s air pollutant index. Firefly has extended its Seletar–Subang flight cancellations to today (Straits Times). Tomorrow’s question is the NEA forecast, and whether the wind changes.