Singapore launches app to combat spread of COVID-19

Source: Cities Today Published: March 31, 2020

A new app developed by Singapore’s Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and the Ministry of Health, has been launched to help trace and record citizens movements to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Users must provide explicit consent to participate in the app, TraceTogether, and for their mobile number and app data to be used for contact tracing.

Previously authorities relied on the recall and memory of those suspected to be infected with coronavirus, in which many could not remember all their contacts, or did not have information about the people with whom they had been in contact.

The app works by exchanging short-distance Bluetooth signals between phones to detect other participating TraceTogether users in close proximity. Records are stored locally on each user’s phone. If a user is interviewed by the health ministry as part of the contact tracing efforts, he/she can consent to send his/her TraceTogether data to the ministry.

In a statement released by GovTech, the agency said: “This enables users to take the necessary action sooner, such as monitoring his or her own health closely for signs of flu-like symptoms. Early detection could potentially help reduce the risk of the spread of the virus, and better protect our families and loved ones.”