TraceTogether data should not be used to grant or deny access to premises: Authorities

SINGAPORE - Businesses should not use people's exposure alert information from the TraceTogether app to grant or deny access to premises, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) in a joint statement on Friday (May 7).

Although people may receive alerts to monitor their health after being in the general vicinity of a Covid-19 case, the risk is "very small" as they may not have interacted with the case at close quarters given the space of some establishments, such as malls, the statement said.

Both agencies are responding to reports of business owners turning away visitors and customers whose TraceTogether records showed that they have been in close proximity with Covid-19 cases.

These business, such as the ComfortDelGro Driving Centre (CDC) and cruise operators Royal Caribbean and DreamCruises, had required customers show them their TraceTogether records.

"Persons who are deemed close contacts of a case with Covid-19, identified through TraceTogether and contact tracing interviews, would have already received a quarantine order," said the statement.

"Persons who happen to be in the same general vicinity as a case with Covid-19 may receive alerts to monitor their health for 14 days and be advised to see a doctor promptly should they develop symptoms of acute respiratory infection. However, the risk is very small as they may not have interacted with the case at close quarters given the size of the mall.

"Such persons are not restricted from continuing with their regular activities," it added.

The agencies added that SafeEntry data helps those with Covid-19 better recall where they have been and who they were with.

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It shortens the contact tracing process and prevents contact tracers from missing out venues if they fail to recall their past movement accurately.

Meanwhile, CDC has removed a notice on its website which announced that entry to the driving centre would be denied if visitors' TraceTogether App showed that they had been in close proximity with Covid-19 cases.

A new notice was put up on Friday morning (May 7), informing students and visitors that the TraceTogether app or token will be required for entry into the driving centre from May 17. Check-in with identification cards will discontinue from June 1.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, cruise operator Dream Cruises announced that passengers of its cruise liner World Dream whose TraceTogether app indicated possible exposure are prohibited from sailing between Friday and May 19.

Those who were at Tan Tock Seng Hospital from April 18 onwards are also barred.

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Fellow cruise operator Royal Caribbean has also sent out messages to inform its customers that those with possible exposures flagged on their TraceTogether data will be denied boarding.

The Straits Times has contacted both cruise companies and Singapore Tourism Board for comment.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction