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Singapore to make visitors wear tagging device to enforce quarantine

Singapore is rolling out an electronic monitoring device for all arrivals - Getty
Singapore is rolling out an electronic monitoring device for all arrivals - Getty

Travellers arriving in Singapore will be required to wear an electronic monitoring device to ensure they are complying with Covid-19 quarantine requirements, it was announced today.

All arrivals in Singapore must go into quarantine for 14 days. However, from August 11, incoming travellers and residents arriving from certain countries will be allowed to self-isolate in a private residence for 14 days so long as they wear the device.

Anyone arriving from Australia (excluding Victoria), New Zealand, Brunei, Macao, mainland China, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam can serve their stay home notice at a place of residence. Everyone else has to isolate at a state-appointed facility, at their own expense if they are not a Singaporean citizen or permanent resident.

The monitoring system is similar to an electronic band rolled out in Hong Kong in March to ensure arriving passengers were following quarantine guidelines. South Korea has also introduced a wristband connected to a smartphone app, to detect those who are violating quarantine rules.

Details on how exactly the device will work are still to be announced, although it will only be mandatory for those aged 12 and over. Singaporean authorities say that the system will not store personal data, nor will it have any voice or video recording functions, although any attempt to tamper with the device or leave home will trigger an alert.

It is believed that those wearing the devices, which use 4G or bluetooth signals to determine whether the individual is within the range of their declared place of residence, may receive notifications from authorities, and will need to acknowledge them to avoid an investigation.

The only permitted reason for anyone to leave their place of residence is to go for a mandatory Covid-19 swab test.

Shoppers have their temperatures taken on Orchard Road in Singapore - Getty
Shoppers have their temperatures taken on Orchard Road in Singapore - Getty

Those who break the rules could be subject to a fine of up to S$10,000 (£5,554), a jail sentence of six months, or both. Foreigners with work passes will have them revoked if caught flouting the rules. There are also plans to give all residents a wearable virus-tracing device to monitor any Covid-19 symptoms.

“With the progressive lifting of travel restrictions, the use of wearable electronic monitoring devices will enable ICA, MOM and MOE to monitor those serving stay-home notice at their place of residence more effectively,” the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a joint statement.

Singapore has seen a slight rise in Covid-19 cases over the last month. On August 3, the city state reported 226 cases, including nine imported cases who had been placed on stay-at-home notice on arrival in Singapore. However, the death rate in Singapore remains low – there have been only 27 recorded deaths out of 53,051 cases. That puts the official rate at five cases per million population, one of the lowest in the world. The UK has recorded 680 deaths per million people.

As of July 4, Singapore is exempt from the Foreign Office advice against non-essential travel. This means that your travel insurance should still be valid, were you to be permitted entry.

However, anyone going to Singapore must still self-isolate on return to the UK, including if you transit in Singapore on your way back to the UK.

There are further obstacles on getting into Singapore. Short-term visitors from anywhere in the world are banned from entering Singapore. This means that holidays for non-Singaporean residents are currently off the cards. Only citizens can arrive back in the country without the trip being pre-approved, while long-term pass holders and dependents must seek permission before entering the country.

In the early days of the virus, Singapore was held up as an example of a country that had Covid-19 under control. However, by the end of April Singapore had the highest reported number of cases in south-east Asia, peaking at 1,426 cases on April 20.

The country’s early success was attributed to strict border screening, an intensive testing programme and a 6,000-strong team of “disease detectives” who used sophisticated technology and human intelligence to track the contacts of the infected, ordering them to self-isolate until they were cleared.

The measures allowed much of Singaporean society to avoid the harsh lockdown endured by the rest of the world in the early weeks of the pandemic. Schools, restaurants and businesses remained open until late April, when cases spiked and a partial eight-week lockdown (penned as a “circuit breaker”) was rolled out.

During this period, schools and workplaces were shut, people were banned from eating at restaurants, and face coverings were made compulsory in public. Those caught breaking the rules were given warnings or possible jail sentences.

The lockdown ended in June, although some social distancing rules remain in place. While eating in restaurants is now allowed and gyms and cinemas have reopened, groups are limited to a maximum of five people, and people are required to remain one metre apart in public. Weddings and funerals can only have a maximum of 20 attendees, and nightclubs and karaoke bars remain shut.