Digital contact tracing solutions had to be swiftly conceptualised and implemented as the virus hit our shores. The virus needed to be ringfenced so fewer people will be infected and ensure that our health care system was not overloaded. To do this well, effective contact tracing was paramount.

With the help of the digital contact tracing tools – TraceTogether (TT) and SafeEntry, - we managed to reduce the average time to identify and quarantine close contacts from 4 days to less than 1.5 days.

SafeEntry Programme

SafeEntry is our national digital check-in system that logs the information of individuals who visit selected locations to support our contract tracing efforts.

Individuals who wish to enter a venue where SafeEntry is mandatory, will need to have either an active TT App or a working TT Token. They can only perform SafeEntry check-ins by:

Using their TT App to scan the venue’s QR code; Displaying their TT Token for venue staff to scan the TT Token’s QR code; Tapping their TT App or TT Token at a SafeEntry Gateway device. With SafeEntry, we can log the individuals’ entry and exit times to a location to have a complete picture of how far the virus can spread and allow the health authorities to understand the virus transmission better.

Click on the link for information on SafeEntry at public transport nodes.

TraceTogether Programme

The TraceTogether Programme supports Singapore’s digital contact tracing effort in the fight against COVID-19. It comprises the TraceTogether App and TraceTogether Token, and both the App and Token work by using Bluetooth signals to record other nearby TraceTogether devices.

The App was launched on 20 March 2020, while the engineers worked on the Token to ensure that everyone could participate in the program, even if they did not use a smartphone. The Token was launched in August 2020 and distributed to 10,000 senior citizens before nation-wide distribution kicked off in August 2020.

TraceTogether helps the contact tracers identify the close contacts of a COVID-19 patient which helps to ringfence possible exposures and infections to stop the spread of the virus.

We have also open-sourced TraceTogether’s source code so that other organisations and countries are able to create their contact tracing solution based on their individual needs.

For information on the recycling of TraceTogether Tokens, visit token.gowhere.gov.sg.

Homer

The Homer app allows the Government agencies managing Stay Home Notices (SHN) or Quarantine Orders (QO) to keep in touch with the individuals that have been put on SHN or QO.

The App uses its auto location reporting function to submit the individual’s current location to the relevant authorities multiple times a day. Individuals also use the App to update their health status and reports as required.

Homer allows the Government agencies to manage all the individuals on their SHN or QO effectively and monitor their health status.