Singapore launches contact tracing mobile app to track Coronavirus infections

PUBLIC NOTICE:

Singapore has launched a contact-tracing smartphone app to allow authorities to identify those who have been exposed to people infected with coronavirus as part of efforts to curb the spread of the disease.

Governments around the world have turned to technology to battle the virus.

The TraceTogether app will work by exchanging short distance Bluetooth signals between phones to detect other participating users in close proximity of 2 meters.

Records of the encounters will be stored locally on each phone with the app, developed by Singapore’s Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and the health ministry.

Users will need to send their logs when requested by the health ministry, which will otherwise not have any knowledge of the data, according to an official statement.

Singapore has won international praise for its fastidious approach in tackling the virus – which has included using police investigators and security cameras to help track suspect carriers.