SINGAPORE, Oct 21 — By December, it will be compulsory to use the TraceTogether mobile application or token to check in at venues such as workplaces, schools, malls as well as food and beverage outlets under the Government's plan to further reopen the economy.
At these venues, people will not be able to check in by scanning their identification cards or SafeEntry QR codes with their phones, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office said in a statement yesterday.
Instead, they will have to either use the TraceTogether app to scan a QR code at the premises or have the staff there scan the QR code found on their token.
Currently, only the use of SafeEntry is compulsory.
The office, which is a department under the Prime Minister’s Office, plans to gradually expand the number of venues that will make checking in through TraceTogether compulsory.
TraceTogether was launched on May 20 as a mobile application to support Covid-19 contact tracing efforts by exchanging Bluetooth signals between nearby phones that have the app installed, estimating the distance between users and how much time they spend in close proximity.
The token version, which is a standalone device, was first distributed to 10,000 seniors in June. They can currently be collected at 38 community centres or clubs (CCs) around Singapore and will be made available at all 108 CCs islandwide by the end of November.
The use of these TraceTogether-only SafeEntry points has been on trial since August at selected venues where people are likely to be in close contact for prolonged periods or where human traffic is high, said the office.
It will also be gradually implemented from now until mid-November at venues with activities that involve larger groups of people, such as live performances, business events and worship services with more than 100 attendees.
Earlier yesterday, the authorities had confirmed the new requirements for cinemas specifically, saying that moviegoers will have to use TraceTogether to enter cinemas starting from next Monday, with a three-week grace period for patrons to adjust.
By December, when most would have had the chance to collect their tokens, the compulsory TraceTogether requirement will be implemented at all venues where SafeEntry is currently mandatory.
At a multi-ministry task force press conference on Tuesday, Education Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the task force, said that having about 70 per cent of the population using TraceTogether will be one of the requirements before the government moves to Phase Three of Singapore’s reopening.
The current take-up rate for TraceTogether app or token is about 2.5 million people, which is about 45 per cent of the population.
The authorities said earlier this month that more than 100,000 tokens have been distributed. — TODAY
