Influencer forgets his mask at MRT station, guess who gives him a spare?

Taking public transport, but forgot your mask? 

There might just be a little hack that could save you the trouble of going back home to get a mask, or buying a whole box from the nearest convenience store. 

Local content creator Thomas Kopankiewicz took to TikTok to share a 'life hack' he learned from his friend. 

In a video posted last Thursday (Sept 22), Kopankiewicz explained he had left his mask in the office but needed to take the train. 

Luckily for him, his friend told him that the train station offers free masks for those who needed one. 

"Mind blown" by his friend's statement, Kopankiewicz approached the control station at one-north MRT station and asked the staff if they had any masks to spare. 

Lo and behold, his friend was right.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@heythomask/video/7145780676556606722?_r=1&_t=8Vzb37JYH9G&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7145780676556606722[/embed]

"Of course they have [masks], it's Singapore," said his friend gleefully as the pair headed to board the train. 

"Am I the only one who doesn't know about this? I felt like some tourist in Japan lol!" Kopankiewicz wrote in the video's caption. 

Kopankiewicz's video received several comments from netizens who were rather surprised at this 'life hack'.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have walked all the way back to my office to take my mask," lamented one netizen. 

However, some pointed out that not all MRT stations in Singapore offer spare masks to forgetful passengers. 

One even said that the staff at Clarke Quay station "got really upset" when they tried to ask for spare masks. 

One netizen who appears to work at an MRT station clarified that giving out spare masks to passengers who need them is a goodwill gesture on their part. 

That being said, the netizen also mentioned that there are passengers who have demanded for masks. 

Although not all train stations offer masks, some netizens said it doesn't hurt to ask a stranger for one, or even approach an F&B establishment, said one F&B employee. 

AsiaOne has reached out to Kopankiewicz and SMRT for more information. 

Since Aug 29, mask-wearing indoors are no longer required by law, except in healthcare facilities, public transport and other settings that are likely crowded, enclosed and used by vulnerable persons.

These areas include healthcare facilities, residential care homes (including welfare and sheltered homes for the aged, as well as adult disability homes) and ambulances.

They also cover the indoor premises of hospitals and polyclinics, including retail, food and beverages (F&B) outlets, common areas and other facilities within the buildings.

ALSO READ: Woman creates her own personal space on train - with a hula hoop

claudiatan@asiaone.com