78% of residents participating in TraceTogether programme – Lawrence Wong
SINGAPORE — More than 4.2 million people, or 78 per cent of Singapore’s resident population now participate in the government’s TraceTogether (TT) programme.
Of these, around two million people use just the TraceTogether app on their mobile phones.
To date, the government has spent about $10 million on developing the app and the SafeEntry system, said Lawrence Wong, co-chair of the multi-ministry task force tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, in Parliament on Monday (4 January).
In response to a question filed by MP Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) on whether the cost is justified, Wong, who is also education minister, said, “The results speak for themselves – TT has stopped the transmission of the virus in many instances, and has helped save many lives. So I have no doubt about the cost-effectiveness of this programme.”
Wong added that once everyone who needs a TT token has had the chance to collect one, the government will require everyone to use TT – either the app or token – only at SafeEntry checkpoints.
The government will release more details to the public and also give advance notice to establishments at a later date.
Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
Related stories:
TraceTogether use to be mandatory at workplaces, schools, malls and others by December
What you need to know about Singapore's TraceTogether tokens
COVID-19: Singapore to begin distributing TraceTogether tokens next Monday