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Mandatory TraceTogether check-in pushed back from Dec to early next year

SINGAPORE — Checking in with the TraceTogether app or token will be mandatory at all public venues in Singapore “early next year”, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday (14 December), instead of this month.

This will be implemented after “everyone who wants a token has had a chance to collect one at a community club or centre in their constituency”, the MOH added.

This means that members of the public can still check-in via SafeEntry by scanning QR codes with a phone camera, or with the SingPass mobile app, or using an NRIC.

These would no longer be allowed once TraceTogether-only SafeEntry is rolled out.

(PHOTO: Newer and older TraceTogether devices from left to right. Vernon Lee/Yahoo News Singapore)
Newer (left) and older TraceTogether devices. (PHOTO: Vernon Lee/Yahoo News Singapore)

Singapore is poised to achieve a participation rate of around 70 per cent in its TraceTogether programme by end-2020, which was set as one of the requirements before Singapore’s move to Phase 3, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong, who is co-chair of the COVID-19 multi-ministry taskforce, during an online press conference on the same day.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Monday that Singapore will enter Phase 3 of its reopening on 28 December.

“But we will not stop there. We want to achieve an even higher participation rate, be it through the downloading of the TraceTogether app or the distribution of tokens, which will continue throughout all our community centres,” said Wong.

When the process is completed, authorities will implement TraceTogether-only SafeEntry, he said.

Nationwide distribution of the TraceTogether tokens began on 14 September.

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What you need to know about Singapore's TraceTogether tokens