As part of increased efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Singapore, the government announced the launch of a new TraceTogether contact tracing device and an updated version of the existing TraceTogether app. These new developments may have left you a bit confused or even a little concerned about privacy issues.
Why use TraceTogether?
Digital tools like these will reduce the time it takes to trace the close contacts of a Covid-19 infected person to less than a day, compared with two to three days using manual methods.
The token will also allow people, such as children and the elderly, who may not have smartphones or the latest models of smartphones, to participate in digital contact tracing.
Currently, people have to download the TraceTogether app on their smartphones, which cannot be more than five years old or use an older operating system.
For digital contact tracing to be effective, Singapore needs to drive up participation rate to more than 75 per cent, from the current 25 per cent, Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan said at a multi-ministry task force virtual news conference on Monday (June 8).
The boost is crucial in the current post-circuit breaker period as more of us return to our physical place of work, more domestic business activities start again and Singapore mulls over allowing cross-border travel for work to resume.
The updated app was released last week and the TraceTogether Token will be issued in the later half of June. To address some of your concerns, here are six key things to know: