TraceTogether Take-Up Rate Now More Than 60%; Half a Millon More to Phase 3

Remember how, earlier this month, experts say Singapore won’t be able to move into Phase 3 by the end of this year?

Well, it seems like their prediction might just be wrong and we could hit at least one of the conditions required to enter Phase 3: TraceTogether Takeup Rate.

TraceTogether Take-Up Rate Now More Than 60%; Half a Millon More to Phase 3

On 7 Dec 2020, it was reported that Singapore has a takeup rate of 50% for the national TraceTogether programme.

The condition for Singapore entering Phase 3 is to have a 70% TraceTogether takeup rate, a number which requires about a million additional users.

Well, 3 days after that initial report, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) clarified that the latest updated figure for TraceTogether participation is “more than 60%”.

It was added that the takeup rate has crossed the 50 per cent mark in Nov 2020.

Singapore’s population count (according to Todayonline) is 5.7 million. In order to hit the vaunted 70%, we need another half a million users to fulfil condition 1 put forward by the multi-ministry task force.

Expects Steady Distribution

Other than the updated figure, SNDGG also said that they expect TraceTogether token distribution to “proceed at a steady pace” as more collection points open up.

Until now, there are still areas in which collection points have not opened yet, and according to the Token Go Where website, there are only 39 active collection points as of the time of writing.

There are now less than three weeks to the end of 2020, and whether we hit the target or not remains to be seen.

Why People Are Not Downloading/Collecting The TraceTogether App/Token

According to the SNDGG, there are several reasons why people might not be participating in the TraceTogether programme:

• Thinks that SafeEntry is enough
• Privacy concerns regarding the programme
• A battery killer
• Don’t understand the benefits of having TraceTogether

Myths Debunked

SNDGG emphasised that TraceTogether and SafeEntry complement each other in Singapore’s Covid-19 battle plans but serves different functions.

It’s like having chicken rice; the rice and chicken are two different things but you need them together to make up your favourite dish.

It was added that TraceTogether respects the privacy of the users, and only when there is a need (i.e. you test positive for Covid-19) will the authorities access your data for contact tracing.

Data is also automatically deleted after 25 days, they add.

As for it being a battery killer, it could’ve been a myth from the old days (when the TraceTogether app first came out).

Now, testing has shown that the app only drains 0.03% per hour from an S6, meaning if you’re using a newer model, the drainage could be even smaller.

Watch this video to the end to know more about TraceTogether (and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more informative videos!):

Outreach

Currently, the SNDGG is running advertisements to educate people in Singapore about TraceTogether.

They also have people on the ground conducting face-to-face engagements with members of the public as well.

Digital ambassadors are also deployed to businesses in Singapore to get them ready for TraceTogether-Only SafeEntry.

In case you missed it, there are plans to make people use either the TraceTogether app or the token in order to gain entry to places in Singapore.

It’s already started in cinemas, which has generated positive feedback and will be rolled out to public places like shopping malls and schools in the future.

They are also encouraging TraceTogether users to complete the registration on their app.

So, have you downloaded your TraceTogether app?

Featured Image: Ascannio / Shutterstock.com