SINGAPORE — Residents of a public housing block in Punggol Field said that they were surprised and touched by the gesture of an anonymous neighbour who left surgical masks and a bottle of hand sanitiser in both lifts of their block.

Other residents have entered into the community spirit and added masks to the supply, they said.

In each lift of Block 267B, a small basket of masks and alcohol swabs as well as a bottle of sanitiser were tied to the grab handles. A note stuck to the basket reads, “Please take one if you need”, and is signed simply “neighbour”.

Residents told TODAY on Tuesday (Feb 4) that they first noticed the masks around the end of last week.

When TODAY visited the block, the masks had all been taken, and the sanitiser bottles were only a quarter full.

One resident, Mr He Wen Zhi, 84, said that he was touched by the generous gesture.

“I am very grateful and pleased for this gesture and am very proud that we have this person in our block,” he said.

He did not take any of the masks because he is not ill. “Doctors have already told us that we don’t need to wear masks if we are healthy and use it only when necessary.”

Mr He noticed that other residents have been adding more masks to the baskets.

Join us on Telegram to get TODAY's top stories on mobile:

Another resident Mr Anthony Goh, 47, a businessman, said that it was a good example of the tight-knit community spirit of the block.

“As a community, we need to work together to prevent the spread of the virus.” 

Relief teacher Lee Seok Lam, 60, who moved into the block last year in June, said that this was the first time she had noticed the friendliness of her neighbours in the block.

“Most of the neighbours are young couples who work till late so I don’t really see them, and they have their doors closed,” she said.

“This is the first time I have felt the warmth from this kind person who has taken the initiative to put the masks (at the lifts),” she added. “I think this neighbourhood is very blessed and fortunate to have him.”

However, Madam Sim Lee Hung, 73, said she was concerned that the masks may be “dirty”.

“I won’t want to touch it if it’s left by somebody else. It’s not clean. I have my own at home so I will use them instead,” she said.

Photos of the basket and sanitisers were posted on Facebook by broadcast company Collike on Monday and had gathered 2,200 likes as of Tuesday.

Many online users who commented on the post, including Facebook user Katherine Tan, lauded the gesture and called it an act that showcased the “kampung spirit” of Singapore.

Ms Agnes Chong posted another photo of a bottle of sanitiser in a lift as a comment on Tuesday, adding that it was from a different block — Block 665B — in Punggol Drive. “Well done, Punggol people,” she wrote in the post.