Singapore
22 Apr 2021 11:13AM (Updated: 22 Apr 2021 11:20AM )
SINGAPORE: From Jun 1, TraceTogether-only SafeEntry will be implemented at all higher-risk venues and other modes of SafeEntry will be discontinued.
The venues where TraceTogether-only SafeEntry will be mandatory are those with a higher throughput of visitors – such as malls, workplaces, places of worship and schools – or where people are likely to be in close proximity for prolonged periods – such as restaurants and gyms.
Only the TraceTogether app or token will be accepted at these locations, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) said on Thursday (Apr 22).
Other modes of SafeEntry, such as launching your phone’s camera to scan a venue’s QR code, using the Singpass app and scanning of barcodes on personal IDs, will no longer be used.
Large retail stores and supermarkets inside a mall will not need to have SafeEntry check-ins.
"This is because all visitors would have already performed TraceTogether-only SafeEntry check-in at the mall entrances, and the interactions at these venues within the malls are generally more transient," the press release said.
Small retail stores such as pharmacies, convenience stores and heartland provision shops that were not required to implement SafeEntry for customers, but have voluntarily done so, should also remove these check-ins to increase convenience for customers, the authorities added.
TraceTogether-only SafeEntry will also be required at solemnisations and weddings, funerary events and wakes, pre-schools and student care centres and healthcare facilities.
MOH and SNDGG said the TraceTogether programme and SafeEntry are important digital tools that enable contact tracers to quickly identify and isolate close contacts of COVID-19 cases.
“This helps to break transmission chains and prevent community outbreaks as more activities resume. While TraceTogether data identifies an initial list of close contacts, SafeEntry data provides the list of places visited by COVID-19 cases to help our contact tracers establish cluster links.”
The authorities said the combined use of these digital tools has enabled Singapore to reduce the average time taken to contact trace from four days to less than one-and-a-half days.
“More recently, TraceTogether has helped to identify 75 persons who had to be placed under quarantine, but would likely not have been picked up through a manual contact tracing process.
“This has been important in ensuring that the impact of any local cases detected were immediately contained, with very little further spread in the community. With greater active usage of TraceTogether, the coverage and speed of contact tracing can be further enhanced. This will be most important in venues or settings where community spread is most likely to occur,” they added.
More than 90 per cent of the population have either downloaded the TraceTogether App and/or collected the TraceTogether Token, said MOH and SNDGG.
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TraceTogether-only SafeEntry required from Jun 1 at all higher-risk venues
The new SafeEntry Gateway developed by GovTech that enables contactless detection of the TraceTogether token or app. (Photo: Ang Hwee Min)22 Apr 2021 11:13AM (Updated: 22 Apr 2021 11:20AM )
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SINGAPORE: From Jun 1, TraceTogether-only SafeEntry will be implemented at all higher-risk venues and other modes of SafeEntry will be discontinued.
The venues where TraceTogether-only SafeEntry will be mandatory are those with a higher throughput of visitors – such as malls, workplaces, places of worship and schools – or where people are likely to be in close proximity for prolonged periods – such as restaurants and gyms.
Only the TraceTogether app or token will be accepted at these locations, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) said on Thursday (Apr 22).
Other modes of SafeEntry, such as launching your phone’s camera to scan a venue’s QR code, using the Singpass app and scanning of barcodes on personal IDs, will no longer be used.
Large retail stores and supermarkets inside a mall will not need to have SafeEntry check-ins.
"This is because all visitors would have already performed TraceTogether-only SafeEntry check-in at the mall entrances, and the interactions at these venues within the malls are generally more transient," the press release said.
Small retail stores such as pharmacies, convenience stores and heartland provision shops that were not required to implement SafeEntry for customers, but have voluntarily done so, should also remove these check-ins to increase convenience for customers, the authorities added.
READ: ‘Quick and convenient’ check-ins with new SafeEntry Gateways at malls, libraries and cinemas
TraceTogether-only SafeEntry will also be required at solemnisations and weddings, funerary events and wakes, pre-schools and student care centres and healthcare facilities.
MOH and SNDGG said the TraceTogether programme and SafeEntry are important digital tools that enable contact tracers to quickly identify and isolate close contacts of COVID-19 cases.
“This helps to break transmission chains and prevent community outbreaks as more activities resume. While TraceTogether data identifies an initial list of close contacts, SafeEntry data provides the list of places visited by COVID-19 cases to help our contact tracers establish cluster links.”
The authorities said the combined use of these digital tools has enabled Singapore to reduce the average time taken to contact trace from four days to less than one-and-a-half days.
“More recently, TraceTogether has helped to identify 75 persons who had to be placed under quarantine, but would likely not have been picked up through a manual contact tracing process.
“This has been important in ensuring that the impact of any local cases detected were immediately contained, with very little further spread in the community. With greater active usage of TraceTogether, the coverage and speed of contact tracing can be further enhanced. This will be most important in venues or settings where community spread is most likely to occur,” they added.
More than 90 per cent of the population have either downloaded the TraceTogether App and/or collected the TraceTogether Token, said MOH and SNDGG.
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Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
Continue reading...