
From June 1 onwards, all digital check-ins at places with high footfall can only be done with the Tracetogether app or token. By SAMANTHA FRANCIS.
If you’ve been scanning the SafeEntry QR codes via your smartphone or using your Singpass app to enter shops and restaurants in Singapore, it’s time to make a small change. Starting June 1, digital check-ins for the purpose of contact tracing at places with high footfall can only be completed with the TraceTogether app or token.
Locals will have to use this method for check-ins at public spaces such as workplaces, shopping malls, schools, places of worship, educational institutions, gyms, as well as dine-in food and beverage outlets.
According to a joint statement by the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office, as well as the Ministry of Health, more than 90 percent of the local population has either downloaded the TraceTogether app or collected the token. As such, the mandatory use of TraceTogether will coincide with the removal of the current SafeEntry check-ins at individual retail outlets.
Meanwhile, small retail stores such as convenience stores and pharmacies, that were previously not required to implement SafeEntry but have voluntarily done so, should also remove these check-ins for patrons for the sake of convenience.
From June 1, the new SafeEntry Gateway box will be located at the entrances of the above-mentioned places. To check-in, visitors simply have to tap the TraceTogether app or the token instead of scanning QR codes. For app users, Bluetooth needs to be turned on, with the app opened in the background. Meanwhile, token users should check that there’s a blinking green light, which indicates that the token hasn’t run out of battery.
How do you know it’s a successful check-in? Just make sure a green light appears on the Gateway box after tapping your token or app, along with a beep sound.
For the uninitiated, the TraceTogether app was launched to support Singapore’s efforts in fighting COVID-19 through community-driven contact tracing. The app works by notifying users quicky if they’ve been exposed to the virus through close contact with other TraceTogether users, based on locale proximity. Should you test positive for COVID-19, the app or token’s Blueetooth data will be shared with MOH for the purpose or contact tracing. To register, use a valid NRIC, FIN, or valid document of your current stay in The Lion City.
More information here.