SINGAPORE – As Covid-19 measures are eased, the use of contact tracing systems TraceTogether and SafeEntry is being stepped down, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Thursday.
Residents can uninstall the TraceTogether app from their phones, and businesses can stop using the SafeEntry (Business) app, the ministry said.
However, both will remain available in app stores for download in case they need to be reactivated, such as in the event that a dangerous Covid-19 variant of concern emerges, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said during a media conference on Thursday.
Details such as names, business Unique Entity Numbers (UENs) and mobile numbers will be retained in the systems to make it easier for individuals and companies to re-register for the systems if needed, added the co-chair of the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19.
Meanwhile, people who have TraceTogether tokens will be able to return them from next Monday to March 12 at counters at all 108 community clubs and centres.
“We strongly encourage the public to return their tokens so that they can be refurbished and recycled for distribution to those who need them, should digital contact tracing operations have to be reactivated,” MOH said in a press release.
While TraceTogether and SafeEntry facilitated Singapore’s contact tracing efforts and the implementation of safe management measures during the acute phase of the pandemic, the authorities have progressively stepped down their use in recent months as the situation stabilised.
Those infected are no longer required to submit TraceTogether data, and SafeEntry data is no longer being collected, MOH said, adding that it has deleted all identifiable data from the two contact tracing systems from its servers and databases.
MOH noted, however, that the TraceTogether data relating to a murder case in May 2020 will be retained indefinitely.
“This is especially necessary for serious cases such as murder, where legal applications may be made to challenge the conviction or sentence many years after the case has concluded, and the Singapore Police Force may be obliged to disclose the data,” MOH said.
In January 2021, then Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan revealed that the police had accessed TraceTogether data in their investigation of a murder at Punggol Field, though investigators were not able to obtain any useful data as the app was not installed on the suspect’s phone.
In February that year, a Bill was passed restricting the use of such personal contact tracing data to seven serious crimes, such as murder and terrorism.
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