Coronavirus: Singapore
What to do when TraceTogether-only check-in is required
Use app or token when entering a venue from May 17; more places will offer gateway entry
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Shoppers using electronic gantries at Paragon Shopping Centre to verify their SafeEntry check-ins yesterday. From May 17, more venues including malls, schools and workplaces must implement TraceTogether-only check-ins.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Kenny Chee
From May 17, all visitors to places that require SafeEntry check-ins - such as malls, eateries, offices, schools and places of worship - must use either the TraceTogether app or token, for contact-tracing purposes.
The date for this compulsory TraceTogether-only SafeEntry check-in was brought forward by about two weeks from the previously announced June 1, the Government said on Tuesday.
Here are some answers to questions about TraceTogether.
Q: Why is a TraceTogether check-in needed when there is already SafeEntry?
A: SafeEntry, the national check-in tool, records the date, time and location of a venue that people visit. But it cannot tell whom they were in close contact with.
TraceTogether, using the mobile app or token, is able to do this through the exchange of encrypted Bluetooth signals between users.
This proximity information, together with SafeEntry location data, can help the authorities to quickly identify and isolate people who may have been in close contact with a Covid-19 patient and limit the spread of the virus in the community.
The Government has said that TraceTogether and SafeEntry have helped to cut the average contact-tracing time from four days to less than 1.5 days.
Q: How do I check in using only TraceTogether?
A: This can be done in three ways at venue entrances:
• Use the TraceTogether app to scan a venue's SafeEntry QR code.
• Let staff at the venue scan your TraceTogether token's QR code.
• Just like using an ez-link card, tap your TraceTogether token or phone with the TraceTogether app on a new device called the SafeEntry Gateway.
-
askST
If you have a question, e-mail us at askst@sph.com.sg
The gateway takes the form of a physical box, or the SafeEntry (Business) app on a venue staff member's mobile device.
More venues will offer gateway check-ins from June 15 after an initial batch of more than 2,700 places had to do so from April 19. Visit go.gov.sg/gateway-overview for the full list of places.
Entry will be denied to visitors who do not use TraceTogether to check in to a place.
Q: Where can I get the TraceTogether app or token?
A: The free app can be downloaded from the Google Play store or the Apple App Store.
The token can be collected from any community centre islandwide.
More details can be found at www.token.gowhere.gov.sg
Q: When TraceTogether-only SafeEntry is compulsory, can I still use other methods to check in?
A: From May 17, SafeEntry check-ins using the Singpass app or using a phone's camera to scan venue QR codes will no longer be supported.
And from June 1, visitors will no longer be able to have their personal identity cards' bar codes scanned at venue entrances in order for them to check in.
But under certain circumstances, some people may be allowed to use their identity cards to check in, at the discretion of venue operators. These people include:
• Short-term visitors to Singapore who are unable to register or use the TraceTogether app.
• TraceTogether app users whose phones have run out of battery power.
• Users with the app or a token which fails to work, causing a significant inconvenience to other visitors waiting to check in to a place.
Q: Will mandatory TraceTogether check-ins apply to babies or young children?
A: Children below the age of seven do not need to check in. Everyone aged seven and above has to check in using the app or token.
Q: Is checking out mandatory for TraceTogether-only SafeEntry?
A: Like with SafeEntry, checking out is encouraged but not mandatory. For people who checked in using the SafeEntry Gateway, there is no need to check out, and there is no history of your check-in using the gateway in the TraceTogether app.
Q: Will group check-ins be allowed in the app when compulsory TraceTogether check-in is implemented?
A: Group check-ins will still be supported by the TraceTogether app through scanning a SafeEntry QR code or using the app's "favourites" feature. Group check-in is not available with the SafeEntry Gateway.
When doing a group check-in, everyone aged seven and above in the group must display his TraceTogether app or token to venue staff.
Q: At which locations must I do a TraceTogether check-in?
A: Currently, TraceTogether check-ins are required at some venues, namely cinemas, selected places of worship with over 100 people, places with live performances, business events, cruises and selected nightlife entertainment venues allowed to re-open under pilots.
But from May 17, more venues must implement TraceTogether-only check-ins. These include workplaces, schools, healthcare facilities, food and beverage outlets with dine-in options, malls, standalone supermarkets, and standalone large retail shops bigger than 10,000 sq ft. Visit www.safeentry.gov.sg/deployment for the full list.
Check-ins for visitors are not required at the following places:
• Convenience stores;
• Food and beverage outlets with no dine-in options;
• Heartland provision shops;
• Retail shops smaller than 10,000 sq ft; and
• Large retail shops and supermarkets already inside malls or buildings that use TraceTogether check-ins, and operate during the malls' or buildings' operating hours.
