When the gahmen announced that checking in with the TraceTogether app or token will be mandatory at all public venues, they must have forgotten they were talking to Singaporeans.
After all, we’re a kiasu group of people that routinely queues for things we don’t need.
So, when it comes to things we do need, we go a little nuts.
And that’s exactly what happened when the authorities started distributing TraceTogether tokens.
The device was so popular that the gahmen had to temporarily suspend distribution to avoid large queues from forming.
The worry was that certain people, especially kids and the elderly, wouldn’t be able visit public venues or even go to school without the token, as many of them don’t have smartphones.
Well, now parents can rest assured that their kids won’t be turned away from school next year.
TraceTogether Won’t Be Compulsory for Students Returning to School Next Year
Parents don’t have to scramble to get a TraceTogether token for their children before school starts next year, as students won’t be required to check in with them yet.
Minister of State for Education Sun Xueling said the tokens will only be made mandatory in schools once all of them have been distributed nationwide.
She reassured parents in a Facebook post on Tuesday (15 Dec).
“Parents, if the trace together token distribution has not yet reached your town, do not worry. It is not mandatory yet for your child to have a TraceTogether token when school reopens.”
When the token was first distributed, it was announced that all individuals aged seven and above were required to use either the TraceTogether token or the app in schools.
However, the Ministry of Education later said that the TraceTogether-only Safe Entry will only be enforced once everyone has had a chance to download the app or collect the token.
In other words, this means that when school starts next year, your child will not, under any circumstance, be denied entry if they do not have the TraceTogether app or the token.
Primary and Secondary students will return to schools on 4 Jan, while Junior Colleges and the Milllennia Institute will reopen on 29 Jan.
Token Distributed One Constituency At a Time
As you know, the distribution of TraceTogether tokens had to be momentarily suspended due to the excessively high demand.
Long queues were seen outside some of the 38 Community Centres (CC) that were carrying out the distribution exercise, which sort of defeats the purpose of a contact tracing device.
That’s why the authorities have chosen to give out the tokens one constituency at a time, to suppress Singaporeans’ inner kiasu uncles and to prevent crowds from forming.
Now, residents can only collect the token from their own constituency’s CC.
This is part of the reason TraceTogether-only SafeEntry won’t be mandatory yet; the rate of distribution has fallen significantly, meaning many children and older residents have not collected their tokens yet.
Parents who are eager to head to collection centres should also note that children under 6 are not required to have the TraceTogether token or app, as they’re usually accompanied by an adult.
Only Singapore residents aged seven and above will need to use the token or app to check in under TraceTogether-only SafeEntry once everyone has the app or token.
You can visit token.gowhere.gov.sg and key in your postal code to check if your area has begun distribution.
Featured Image: threebeanies / Shutterstock.com
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