SINGAPORE – TraceTogether tokens will be distributed nationwide from next Monday (Sept 14), starting in the Jalan Besar and Tanjong Pagar districts, as Singapore ramps up its contact tracing efforts.

Announcing this, Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan said these areas have a higher proportion of seniors who are more vulnerable to Covid-19 and may have difficulty using the existing TraceTogether app.

The Government will also be starting a pilot programme requiring people to use either the free TraceTogether tokens or the app to check in at certain venues.

Such venues could include places where larger numbers of people may come together, or where masks may not be worn at all times due to the nature of the activities taking place there.

The pilot comes as Singapore prepares to allow bigger meetings and conferences with up to 250 participants.

This approach would mean that SafeEntry check-in data is supplemented with proximity data from TraceTogether, enhancing safety for participants, said the Ministry of Health in a statement on Wednesday (Sept 9).

This could allow for a safer increase in capacity limits at such events and premises with any potential future easing of measures, the ministry added.

Said Dr Balakrishnan: “It is not enough to know who has been in this building in the last hour. You want to know, of this group of people who has been in the building, who actually has been in close proximity with one another.”

Speaking at a virtual press conference, he stressed the importance of using the TraceTogether app or tokens, noting that a higher adoption rate makes contact tracing efforts more efficient and effective.

Those who wish to check where the TraceTogether tokens will be distributed can go to the TokenGoWhere website for details on collection sites and timings.

People who wish to collect their tokens earlier can visit any of the active collection sites to do so.

The first batch of TraceTogether tokens was given out to 10,000 seniors starting in June.

A new self-check service will also be launched on Thursday (Sept 10), and send SMS alerts to inform people who have visited the same places as Covid-19 patients.

This service will be based on their own SafeEntry records, and will be available on the TraceTogether app. They can also access the service via SingPass mobile.

On top of this, SMS alerts will be sent to a smaller group of people who were at locations assessed to pose a higher risk of transmission at the same time as Covid-19 cases. These include dining places and gyms.

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