We now have to wear masks to go to stores and markets by law. If we don't, they can just turn us away.

Singapore distributed cloth masks this past week. Jonathan and I took all the ID cards for our household (ourselves, our helper, and the kids) and picked up the masks from our local community centre. They only let one of us in. I waited outside. We wore our mask and took a Grab.

The Grab waited out front in case he could catch us on the way home. He did. Their volumes are way down and they're hurting for fares. Last time I was at the grocery store, the cab line in front of the grocery store was about 20 cars long - all waiting for fares; before COVID19 there would be one or two cabs available and often you'd just have to wait for a cab.

Jonathan said at Mask Distribution they were surprised we had 6 people in our household, but handed over enough masks. We are a large household here - where most people have only 1 child.

I think people think I'm hording when I buy our usual four or five loaves of bread at the grocery store, but that's less than a week of bread for us.

Before we got our cloth masks, I picked up groceries in a paper disposable mask. It didn't go well.

• # 1 - I don't think I had it on right. It kept poking me in the eye. It's hard not to touch your mask when it's poking you in the eye.
• # 2 - Walking with a mask on in 30+ heat and high humidity is suffocating. It was much easier to breathe in the air conditioned mall. Outside the mask made me feel claustrophobic.

That grocery trip was April 9.  The roads had little traffic.  Buses passing had a couple of people on them. The sidewalks were almost totally clear. The mall stores were mostly shut up. I noticed hair salons, optometrists, dentists, the grocery stores open. Some restaurants remained open for take away only, others had chosen to close for the month. Seating at places like Starbucks was completely taped off so they didn't need to chase anyone out. Dining in is currently illegal.

The grocery store had fresh meat, fresh vegetables and fruit, eggs and bread were in stock, but our usual toilet paper is sold out. I had to go to the Grocery store in the first place because our Amazon Prime order showed up with no meat, despite ordering 4 different types hoping something would be available.

My second trip in a mask when better - no eye poking. But on the other hand I wasn't walking (I was sitting in a car); I was in air conditioning for most of it; and I was only out for about 3o minutes instead of closer to 2 hours.