TraceTogether tokens to be handed out at 100 locations islandwide

TraceTogether tokens to be handed out at 100 locations islandwide
People queuing to collect TraceTogether tokens from booths set up in Bedok Mall.
PHOTO: The New Paper

The distribution of TraceTogether tokens will be progressively expanded to about 100 locations islandwide, such as in malls and community centres.

More than 100,000 tokens have been collected since distribution kicked off on Sept 14 at 20 community centres and clubs in the Jalan Besar and Tanjong Pagar areas, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group said yesterday.

Collection points were rolled out at a further 18 community centres on Friday, while TraceTogether mobile booths will be deployed at various malls over the coming weeks.

The full deployment schedule and list of locations can be found on the TokenGoWhere website at token.gowhere.gov.sg

The public can go to any active distribution point to collect the tokens.

The locally developed TraceTogether programme helps with contact tracing efforts by identifying nearby tokens or phones with the app installed, enabling the authorities to identify a person's close contacts if needed.

Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Janil Puthucheary reiterated yesterday the Government's target of getting at least 70 per cent of the population on TraceTogether, without specifying how many tokens the Government is aiming to distribute.

"If we have more than 75 per cent of our population on the programme, the confidence that we have for using this tool for rapid and effective contact tracing is transformative," said Dr Janil, who visited the TraceTogether booth at Bedok Mall yesterday.

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He noted that the TraceTogether app has been downloaded about 2.4 million times to date, which would represent around 40 per cent of Singapore's population.

He added the Government is making the use of the app or token compulsory for large gatherings and higher-risk activities as Singapore opens up.

Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation initiative Vivian Balakrishnan had previously said a pilot scheme requiring people to use either the token or the app to check in at certain venues will start this month.

The app allows users to scan SafeEntry QR codes, while the token comes with its own QR code that can be scanned for entry, similar to how the process works with the bar code on identity cards.

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This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.

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