SINGAPORE — As of September, a total of S$13.8 million has been spent on developing contact-tracing tools such as TraceTogether, which has enabled the early detection of dozens of Covid-19 cases here. 

The amount spent includes S$2.4 million to develop the TraceTogether mobile application, S$6.2 million to develop and procure TraceTogether tokens, and S$5.2 million to develop the SafeEntry check-in system, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said in a written reply to parliamentary questions on Tuesday (Nov 3).

TraceTogether has helped to identify about 25,000 close contacts of Covid-19 cases so far, of which 160 eventually tested positive for Covid-19.

He added that TraceTogether “has enabled the early identification and isolation of cases, faster than would have been possible with manual tracing”.

“This is essential to limit the spread of Covid-19 as it breaks the chains of disease transmission and limits the potential for large clusters and multiple generations of spread.”

Community distribution of TraceTogether tokens began on Sept 14, and as at Nov 1, 570,000 of the tokens have been collected. Around 2.7 million people have downloaded the TraceTogether app. 

Both the TraceTogether app and token use Bluetooth technology to exchange signals with other tokens or smartphones running the app, recording which users have come into contact with each other.

Mr Gan said that the Government will continue to invest in enhancing SafeEntry and TraceTogether, such as exploring how SafeEntry check-ins can be made more convenient and acquiring more TraceTogether tokens to meet needs.

When asked about the estimated cost of any further developments, he said that the actual amount spent will depend on several factors, including the actual number of residents who need a token.

From Nov 16, it will be compulsory for moviegoers to use either the TraceTogether app or token to enter cinemas. 

And by December, it will be compulsory to use TraceTogether to check in at venues such as workplaces, schools and malls. People will no longer be able to check in by scanning their identification cards or SafeEntry QR codes with their phones.

“The effectiveness of TraceTogether increases as more users come onboard. We therefore encourage more Singaporeans to join the TraceTogether programme either by downloading the app or collecting and wearing the token,” Mr Gan said.