Coronavirus: Temperature self-check kiosks on trial at Toa Payoh MRT station and bus interchange

Lim Shaw Leng, 78, getting his temperature checked at a kiosk at Toa Payoh MRT Station on March 1, 2020. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan presenting hand sanitisers to transport workers at Toa Payoh Bus Interchange on March 1, 2020. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

Updated

Published

Mar 01, 2020, 04:09 PM

SINGAPORE - When he visited Toa Payoh MRT station and Bus Interchange on Sunday (Mar 1) morning to distribute hand sanitisers to public transport workers, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan had his temperature taken at two self-checking kiosks.

The prototype kiosks, which went on trial at Toa Payoh on Saturday and will be there until Monday (March 2), are an initiative by several government agencies and local companies to encourage people to check their temperature regularly amid the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.

Each kiosk is equipped with a sensor which detects the temperature of the person in front of it. The kiosk will indicate, either by a yellow light or a notification on a screen, if the person's temperature exceeds a certain threshold and therefore may be having a fever.

If the person's temperature is below the threshold, the kiosk will indicate this with a green light or a notification instead.

A third kiosk is on trial at Chong Pang Community Club.

During his visit to the Toa Payoh transport hub on Sunday, Mr Khaw also met public transport workers from SBS Transit and SMRT, including bus captains and station staff.

The workers were presented with hand sanitisers by Mr Khaw and Mr Richard Magnus, chairman of non-profit philanthropic group Temasek Foundation Cares, as part of Temasek Foundation's Stay Prepared initiative, which seeks to enhance the resilience of the Singapore community to cope with emergencies.

Through the initiative, Temasek Foundation plans to distribute 100,000 bottles of sanitiser to frontline transport workers, including taxi drivers and private-hire car drivers.

It has also recently distributed hand sanitisers to 17 independent charity-run clinics, hospitals and healthcare community organisations, such as NKF Integrated Renal Centre and Tzu Chi Day Rehabilitation Centre.

Noting that frontline transport workers have little access to soap-and-water washing facilities when they are working, Mr Magnus said on Sunday that the hand sanitisers will allow them to clean their hands while still performing their duties efficiently.