SINGAPORE - The nation's digitalisation efforts over the years have placed Singapore in a good position in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, said Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan on Friday (Feb 26).
Here are five areas where digitalisation efforts have helped the nation cope in this pandemic, according to the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG).
1. An online appointment system for Covid-19 vaccinations
Through the National Appointment System for Covid-19 Vaccination, the public can register online and book appointments to receive their inoculation jabs. An eligibility questionnaire is administered online to identify those suitable for the jabs, and 250,000 people have received their first dose of the vaccine, as at Sunday.
2. Digital transactions with the Government
About 95 per cent of the Government's transactions with citizens and businesses are now carried out digitally, without the use of paper or physical cash. This is an 8 per cent jump from 2019, and is one of the highest digital transaction rates in the world, said Dr Balakrishnan.
3. Video-link marriages
More than 600 couples had said "I do" via a video link as at Jan 31, after a new Bill was passed in May last year to allow the remote solemnisation of weddings. Couples are allowed get married in front of a solemniser and their witnesses through a live video link - getting around the authorities' ban on large group gatherings during the pandemic.
4. Digital contact tracing efforts
Close to nine in 10 residents here are now on the TraceTogether programme. This could pave the way for the mandatory use of TraceTogether to check in to public venues. With TraceTogether-only SafeEntry, the public will only be able to check in to public venues using their TraceTogether app or token, and not through any other modes of check-in like QR code reader apps.
5. Adoption of cashless payment methods
There are currently more than 2.7 million users signed up with PayNow, an instant fund transfer service. The number of cashless transactions made using this service doubled last year to 144 million, compared with 2019's numbers, said SNDGG.
