SINGAPORE, Aug 27 — Nursing homes, preschools and construction companies across Singapore are preparing protective measures for vulnerable people as smoke from Indonesian forest fires threatens to worsen the city-state’s air quality.

The Straits Times reported that the preparations include a dedicated haze ward, care packs for seniors, child-sized masks and plans to reduce workers’ outdoor exposure.

The Singapore Red Cross, which began distributing heat-and-haze care packs in April, plans to increase home visits and check-ins with seniors from September.

“Our focus remains on early preparedness before any deterioration in air quality,” its assistant secretary-general for operations Charis Chan was quoted as saying.

The organisation expects to provide hydration supplies and easy-to-prepare food to about 1,000 families, migrant workers and seniors from September 16, helping them avoid unnecessary trips outdoors during haze episodes.

Thye Hua Kwan Nursing Home @ Tanjong Katong has meanwhile prepared a four-bed haze room equipped with its own toilet, ventilation and air-filtration system for residents with respiratory illnesses.

Several preschools have readied child-sized masks and air purifiers, while some plan to keep air conditioning running throughout the day and suspend physical activities for at-risk children if pollution reaches unhealthy levels.

Construction firms are also identifying workers with respiratory vulnerabilities, reviewing which outdoor duties can be scaled back and securing supplies of N95 masks.

The precautions follow a rise in Singapore’s Pollutant Standards Index to 99 in the central region around midnight on August 25, just below the unhealthy threshold of 101.

The index subsequently declined and stood between 52 and 67, within the moderate range, at 9pm on August 26.