Perhaps due to the low number of Covid-19 infections in Singapore nowadays, I have observed a few cases where the SafeEntry check-in/out measures were not followed strictly.

At a supermarket I go to, a staff member directs customers to the contactless temperature self-check machine. However, he doesn't even look at the temperature that is displayed. A customer with a fever could still walk in unchallenged.

At a shopping mall I visit regularly, the staff would just wave customers in after they flash their smartphone screens to show that they have scanned the SafeEntry QR code.

However, can the staff, from where they are sitting at their station a few metres from the customers walking in, really see clearly that the screens actually show the correct location and time of entry?

Occasionally I have observed some members of the public calling up screenshots on their phones and then entering the place without scanning the QR code. Perhaps they used the app's "favourites" feature, or they could have just used a screenshot of a previous entry scan. Nobody would know because the staff don't check properly.

When such SafeEntry checks started, staff seemed more vigilant. More people were scanning their identity cards and the process was longer, but the checks were largely effectively done.

Perhaps due to the need for speed and convenience, and perhaps partly due to complacency, some staff at entry points do not seem to be doing their checks properly, and some members of the public seem to be gaming the system too.

Although Singapore is spared the chaos seen in many parts of the world, a premature relaxation of safety measures, officially or otherwise, can lead to an escalation in the number of infection cases here.

Keeping to the measures may be inconvenient, but everyone needs to do his part properly. There is no point doing things "just for show".

Alex Yeo