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SINGAPORE – Depletion of smartphone batteries, workplace convenience and safety concerns were some of the reasons given by those who rushed to collect their TraceTogether tokens on Saturday (October 24).
There were long lines at some of the 38 community centers (CCs) and clubs to pick up the device the first weekend since the government announced that registration with the TraceTogether app or the token will be mandatory by the end of December in all popular places. such as restaurants, workplaces, schools and shopping centers.
This prompted the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) to post a notice on the Token Go Where website that read: “We are currently experiencing high demand for token collection.”
He advised people not to rush to collect the devices and to check the availability of the token before heading to the collection centers, reminding them that it is not necessary to obtain the token if they already have the application.
The tokens will be available at all 108 community centers across the island by the end of next month.
At Yio Chu Kang Community Club, IT engineer Rudi Rashid, 44, waited about 40 minutes to collect eight tokens for his home and his brother’s family.
Accompanied by his 10-year-old daughter Sri Raihanah, Mr. Rudi had taken public transportation from his home in Sembawang to the site, as the collection is not yet available at the CC near his home.
Rudi said that even though there is a TraceTogether smartphone app, he prefers not to use it as it drains his phone’s battery.
“I work as an IT engineer in a pharmaceutical environment. When I walk into a lot of labs and facilities, I can’t carry my phone all the time,” he added.
“I also don’t want to leave my phone’s Bluetooth on all the time for security reasons.”
When The Straits Times visited the Yio Chu Kang Community Club around 2 p.m., a single queue stretched past a sign indicating a 45-minute wait time. It led to four separate counters where the volunteers handed out the chips.
Those who collected the tokens also received a magnetic information guide that explains how to use the device, which comes in colors like green, orange and white.
Richard Chew, 55, a project manager at a construction site near Yio Chu Kang CC, collected eight tokens for himself, his friends and colleagues on Saturday afternoon, after queuing for half an hour.
“It’s easier for me to use this (token) to enter construction sites because in my line of work, I need to use my phone for other purposes,” he said.
At the Teck Ghee Community Center in Ang Mo Kio, there were three queues in the main room, where a projection screen played a video explaining how the TraceTogether token works. For example, there is no GPS tracking for each token and the collected data remains on the device and is automatically deleted after 25 days.
Outside, there was a priority queue for pregnant women, wheelchair users and the disabled.
Sales manager Ho Kai Peng, 37, who was there to collect seven tokens for his family, said: “Some of my friends have the app, but I’m worried the battery is running low. I don’t carry a power bank. with me. “
He added that he had a better idea of how the device works after watching the video while in the queue.
You will also read the magnetic information guide, which you intend to stick on your home refrigerator.
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