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SINGAPORE – The distribution of TraceTogether tokens to Singaporeans aims to boost the participation rate of national Covid-19 contact tracing efforts to bring it closer to the government’s target of 70%, said the minister in charge of the Smart Nation Initiative, Vivian Balakrishnan.
But while Dr. Balakrishnan does not have a target number for how many tokens will be manufactured and distributed, he said on Monday (Sept. 14) that the tokens will work alongside the TraceTogether app to achieve this goal.
“It’s not the amount of tokens, it’s the participation rate for the TraceTogether program, because these tokens interoperate with the applications on the phone as well. So I don’t have a target for the tokens. What I would like is to get up at a rate of participation of about 70 percent and more, “said Dr. Balakrishnan, without specifying a timeline for this.
Currently, the TraceTogether app has around 2.4 million downloads, representing around 40 percent of Singapore’s population.
Dr. Balakrishnan was speaking with reporters at Jalan Besar Community Club (CC) on the sidelines of the first day of the national distribution of TraceTogether tokens.
The first batch of TraceTogether tokens was delivered to a select group of 10,000 seniors starting in June.
Dr. Balakrishnan had previously said that TraceTogether’s current participation rate of 40 percent is not sufficient as its effectiveness depends on the number of people participating in the program. The greater the number of TraceTogether users, either through the app or the token, the more effective the contact tracing efforts will be.
Responding to further inquiries about the 70 percent target, he said participation depends on making contact tracing accessible.
Dr Balakrishnan, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs, noted that while Singapore currently has one of the highest numbers of engagement tracing in the world, the number may rise further.
He noted that around 5 percent of Singapore’s population does not have access to smartphones and therefore would not be able to download the TraceTogether app, prompting the government to develop the TraceTogether token.
“The token is really just part of the overall TraceTogether program. It works exactly the same way. It identifies proximity for Bluetooth technology. It does not track location information and the data resides encrypted locally within the device,” he said.
The distribution of the tokens started Monday at 20 community centers and clubs in Jalan Besar and Tanjong Pagar.
These areas were chosen because they have a higher proportion of older people, who are more vulnerable to Covid-19 and may find it difficult to use the existing TraceTogether app.
Residents in areas like Ang Mo Kio, Aljunied, East Coast, Marine Parade, and Sengkang are likely to get their tokens between September and October, while those in areas like Clementi, West Coast, Sembawang, and Pasir Ris can expect to get theirs in between. October and November.
People can also go to any active distribution site if they want to get their tokens sooner. Pickup locations and times are listed on the TokenGoWhere website, and any Singaporean resident aged seven and over can get one.
Each token is recorded in the user’s name, allowing contact trackers to identify people who have been close to a confirmed case.
However, user names, identification numbers, and mobile phone numbers are not captured in the token and are stored in a separate system.
If a user becomes infected with Covid-19, the device will have to be physically handed over to the authorities to extract the data necessary for contact tracing.
TraceTogether, released on March 20, takes advantage of short-distance Bluetooth signals between phones to detect other nearby participating app users.
Its developers, the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and the Ministry of Health, say the app is useful when those infected cannot remember who they had been close to for an extended period.
TraceTogether is among several technology initiatives the government is using to combat the transmission of Covid-19.
It has also launched SafeEntry, a national digital registration system that records the identification numbers and mobile phone numbers of people who visit places, to aid in contact tracing efforts.
Among the people who were the first to collect the TraceTogether token on Monday was security officer Ajid Kumar, 66, who had traveled to Jalan Besar CC from his home in Hougang.
He said he made the trip because he wanted to participate in contact tracing here, but couldn’t figure out how to download the TraceTogether app.
“I don’t know how to download the app. I think there is something wrong with my phone, so I thought I would come here to collect the token to protect myself, especially since it is free,” he said.
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