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SINGAPORE: Singapore has developed a “globally interoperable” standard based on blockchain technology to facilitate cross-border verification of health documents, such as COVID-19 pre-departure test results, said the minister in charge of the Smart Nation Initiative. , Vivian Balakrishnan on Friday (February 26).
Speaking at the Procurement Committee debate for the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Balakrishnan said that these notarial pre-departure test results will be available on the SingPass mobile app. The Government will also study the possibility of extending this to vaccination certificates.
HOW DOES IT WORK
Known as HealthCerts, this set of open source digital standards used for the issuance of digital certificates of COVID-19 test results is developed by the Government of Singapore Technology Agency (GovTech) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) .
By being in line with the requirements of international and local authorities, you can smooth and speed up the process for travelers to clear immigration at local and foreign checkpoints. This will facilitate the resumption of cross-border travel safely, Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) said in a press release.
READ: Singapore is discussing COVID-19 vaccine certification with other countries, says PM Lee
Starting March 10, travelers who undergo a COVID-19 test prior to departure at licensed clinics in Singapore will receive their results in the form of a digital certificate that is online with HealthCerts. It can be an attachment or a URL link to the digital certificate, according to an SNDGG fact sheet.
Travelers will need to upload their digital certificates from the clinics to a separate website called Notarise. This system allows locally issued certificates to be endorsed by MINSA so that they are recognized at the airport and abroad.
Once successful, travelers will receive a notarized digital pre-departure test certificate containing a QR code via email and / or the SingPass mobile app. According to the FAQ section on the Notarise website, people can expect a response within 12 hours of shipment.
At the airport and immigration checkpoints, travelers can present the notarial certificate showing the QR code, either digitally or on paper, for verification.
The process of obtaining, notarizing and presenting digital certificates prior to departure to travel. (Graphic: Smart Nation and Digital Government Group)
By scanning the QR code, airline staff members and immigration authorities will be able to verify the authenticity of the digital certificate through a separate platform developed by GovTech.
This platform, called Verify, will verify if the certificate was tampered with and notarized by the Ministry of Health, SNDGG said.
As of February 24, nine companies were authorized to work with clinics to issue certificates following the HealthCerts standard, he added.
On the extension of HealthCerts to digital vaccination certificates, SNDGG said the government is “closely monitoring” international developments on the use of digital vaccination certifications for travel.
It is in talks with the International Civil Aviation Organization and several countries about mutual recognition of these certifications, but these discussions “will take some time since most countries have only just started vaccinating,” he added.
“The current recommendation from the World Health Organization is that COVID-19 vaccines should not be imposed as a condition of entry,” the SNDGG said.
HealthCerts is based on an open source framework known as OpenAttestation, which uses blockchain to issue cryptographically reliable documents that can be independently verified without the need for proprietary software or equipment.
Digital documents issued using the framework are tamper-proof, the SNDGG said.
GovTech has also “opened the HealthCerts framework and code for the issuance, verification, certificate storage and display modules, facilitating wider adoption by private sector companies or other governments.”
The private sector can integrate the new digital standard into their verification solutions, SNDGG said. For example, the Unifier app developed by Affinidi, a Temasek-linked start-up, which is working with Singapore Airlines on an ongoing test, can verify issued certificates against the HealthCerts standard.
READ: Singapore Airlines tests new app to check COVID-19 test results, vaccination status
SNDGG also said that a person’s data will remain private as only a hash, or fingerprint, of the digital certificate is published on the blockchain upon issuance.
“Only this hash is needed to verify the authenticity and validity of the digital certificate,” he added.
“REAL STRESS TEST”
COVID-19 has been a “real stress test” for the Smart Nation initiative, Dr. Balakrishnan said in Parliament.
“It has exposed gaps. It has validated our investments over many years and has also allowed us to differentiate ourselves and emerge stronger in a post-COVID world,” he added.
“Many of the solutions we implemented during the crisis were developed by our in-house engineers within GovTech and other public agencies in weeks, sometimes overnight, for days,” he said.
These solutions include the TraceTogether contact tracing program and the SafeEntry system, which have reduced the time required to identify and quarantine close contacts from an average of four days to less than 1.5 days.
The former now has 4.7 million users, almost 90 percent of Singapore residents, SNDGG said in its press release.
READ: Bill that restricts the use of TraceTogether data for serious crimes passed by Parliament
Other platforms such as MaskGoWhere and SupportGoWhere, as well as the Gov.sg WhatsApp channel, developed rapidly. This ability to “provide crucial and accurate information from reliable sources” enabled the country to respond in a coordinated, efficient and calm manner, Dr. Balakrishnan said.
One-stop-shop portals were also created to meet the specific needs of individuals and businesses affected by the pandemic.
These include the COVID-19 support grant application portal, where around 98,000 applications have been approved since its launch in May last year.
Meanwhile, companies have made more than 700,000 work and employment applications through the GoBusiness COVID-19 portal.
GoBusiness, which consists of two other portals that help companies obtain licenses and navigate government assistance schemes, will receive a new feature in April this year.
A new e-services browser will be launched to provide businesses with easy access to more than 300 government e-services, the minister announced.
READ: Behind the Scenes of a COVID-19 Contact Tracker’s Work, Tough Cases and How TraceTogether Has Helped
Dr. Balakrishnan also noted that technology will be critical for the safe resumption of people’s daily lives.
In addition to HealthCerts, those eligible for vaccination will be able to book their appointments through the National Appointment System when it is their turn. The public will also be able to view their immunization records on the HealthHub mobile app.
As of February 21, 250,000 people had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to an update from SNDGG.
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