Coronavirus: Singapore to expand use of TraceTogether as it opens to events of up to 250 people

The TraceTogether programme, which tracks who users interact with, will be piloted at events such as exhibitions and conferences
Move to resume conference activities is aimed at safeguarding jobs in the tourism and events industry, which is among the worst hit by Covid-19

Coronavirus pandemic

Kok Xinghuiin SingaporeandDewey Sim

Published: 9:51pm, 9 Sep 2020

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Singapore on Wednesday released more details on how it would curb the spread of the coronavirus at larger events as it continues to reopen its economy.

An additional layer of contact tracing is to be introduced so that exhibitions and conferences of up to 250 participants can take place from October.

At present, under a programme called SafeEntry, people must check in online with their names and contact details before entering any building, such as offices, shops or restaurants.

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However, the ministry said that people attending events in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (Mice) industry will now also have to use another programme, called TraceTogether, which uses a mobile application or a token to track who users interact with (defined as coming within two metres for at least 30 minutes).

While TraceTogether is being used by citizens daily on a voluntary basis, it will now be mandatory for Mice events that will resume next month. Previously, it has been compulsory only for foreign workers who have returned to work.

Pedestrians in Singapore’s shopping and commercial centre of Orchard Road. Photo: Bloomberg

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, minister for foreign affairs and minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative, said the idea was to trial this layering of the two technologies at large events where people might be interacting without taking precautions, such as not wearing masks while eating.

“We want to start to check how effective this programme of combining data from TraceTogether and SafeEntry is before we make decisions on how we progress in the future,” he said.

Authorities hope the additional data can help prevent large Covid-19 clusters from forming as event capacities increase.

The Singapore Tourism Board this week said the resumption of Mice events could help maintain Singapore’s position as a travel hub and safeguard jobs and livelihoods.

The city state’s economy is expected to shrink by up to 7 per cent this year, its poorest economic showing since independence, with tourism and aviation industries among the worst-hit.

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According to a survey commissioned by the tourism board last year, the Mice industry supported 34,000 jobs, adding S$3.8 billion (US$2.8 billion) or nearly 1 per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product.

Singapore’s attempt to resume more economic activities will be watched closely as other parts of the world struggle to restart their economies. The Thai tourism island of Phuket is rolling back plans to reopen to long-term foreign visitors, while Malaysia is adding more nationalities to a list of those banned from entering the country. Citizens of countries with more than 150,000 coronavirus cases were, from Monday, unable to enter Malaysia even if they held long-term passes.

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New Zealand, which had previously been virus-free, has since seen some regions return to lockdown. Australia, too, has imposed stricter restrictions in Melbourne and Victoria. Even China, which just last month held a massive party in Wuhan, once the epicentre of the outbreak, has cancelled its biggest air show in the southern city of Zhuhai.

Singapore has just over 57,000 cases, most of them among low-wage migrant workers living in cramped dormitories. Since its two-month partial lockdown from April to June, it has embarked on a tiered resumption of activities.

Most of Singapore’s cases have been among low-wage migrant workers living in cramped dormitories. Photo: EPA

Shops, cinemas and restaurants have reopened, but must enforce distancing measures and limit tables to five people. Unlike some countries, Singapore has not experienced a second wave. The city state’s health ministry said the daily infection toll had been under 100 in recent weeks, with community cases – defined as those who are not low-wage migrant workers living in dormitories – averaging two a day.

Still, authorities remain wary of imported cases. The health ministry said it had seen a significant number of imported cases with recent travel history to India. India has surpassed Brazil to become the second-most infected country, and now has about 4.3 million infections. The United States has the most infections, with 6.35 million.

Singapore to ease coronavirus restrictions, allowing events with 250 people

From September 17 travellers who have been to India within the past two weeks, excluding Singaporeans and permanent residents, will need to test negative before they can enter.

“As the global situation evolves, we will continue to adjust our border measures to manage the risk of importation and any onward transmission to the community,” the health ministry said.

Meanwhile, authorities warned residents to stay vigilant about social distancing. Minister of Education Lawrence Wong, co-chair of the task force dealing with the virus, said enforcement agencies would step up their spot checks, noting that diners and restaurants had been found flouting the rules, mixing in groups of more than five and drinking after 10.30pm when the sale of alcohol was banned.

“Once they see an offence, be it by an individual or by a food and beverage operator, they will take action even if it is a first-time offender. And the enforcement actions could be in the form of a fine or it could even take the form of the closure of the premise,” Wong warned.

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