Firms should not use app data to bar people from premises

Businesses should not use records from the TraceTogether app to deny users access to their premises, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) said in a joint statement yesterday.

Although people may receive alerts to monitor their health after being in the general vicinity of a Covid-19 case, the risk is "very small" as they may not have interacted with the case at close quarters, given the space in some establishments, such as malls, the statement said.

It followed reports of businesses turning away visitors and customers whose TraceTogether records showed they had been in close proximity to Covid-19 cases.

These businesses, such as ComfortDelGro Driving Centre (CDC) and cruise operators Royal Caribbean and Dream Cruises, had required customers to show them their TraceTogether records.

"Persons who are deemed close contacts of a case with Covid-19, identified through TraceTogether and contact tracing interviews, would have already received a quarantine order," said the joint statement.

"Persons who happen to be in the same general vicinity as a case with Covid-19 may receive alerts to monitor their health for 14 days and be advised to see a doctor promptly should they develop symptoms of acute respiratory infection.

"However, the risk is very small as they may not have interacted with the case at close quarters, given the size of the mall. Such persons are not restricted from continuing with their regular activities."

The statement said SafeEntry data helps those with Covid-19 better recall where they had been and who they were with. It shortens the contact tracing process and prevents contact tracers from missing out venues if cases fail to recall their movements accurately.

CDC has removed a notice on its website announcing that entry to the driving centre would be denied if visitors' TraceTogether apps showed that they had been in close proximity to Covid-19 cases.

A new notice was put up yesterday morning, informing students and visitors that the TraceTogether app or token will be required for entry to the driving centre from May 17, and that check-in with identification cards will be discontinued from June 1.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Dream Cruises had announced that World Dream cruise ship passengers whose TraceTogether apps indicated possible exposure to Covid-19 cases were prohibited from sailing between yesterday and May 19. Those who were at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) on or after April 18 were also barred.

Royal Caribbean had sent out messages to inform its customers that those with possible exposure flagged in their TraceTogether data would be denied boarding.

Both cruise companies yesterday updated their advisories to reverse the ban on such passengers.

Mr Michael Goh, president of Dream Cruises, told The Straits Times that those who had been to TTSH from April 18 or whose TraceTogether apps showed possible exposure to Covid-19 cases were still encouraged to postpone their sailing dates till after May 19.

Only those who have been in close contact with Covid-19 cases and have been under a stay-home notice or quarantine order are barred from cruises.

The changes were indicated in Dream Cruises' Facebook post yesterday.

Likewise, Royal Caribbean International said in a statement to The Straits Times: "We strongly encourage all guests with possible exposure alerts to not sail, for the safety of other passengers and crew on board."

The Singapore Tourism Board said it understood that the cruise lines had tightened their boarding policies as a prudent measure.

"The cruise lines have spared no effort to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all their guests and crew, upholding themselves to standards of care above and beyond the authorities' requirements and responding quickly to changes in safe management measures," it said.

But it also said that cruise lines should adhere to MOH and SNDGO guidance regarding the use of data from the TraceTogether app.