Singapore To Launch Wearable Contact Tracing Device For Residents

The Singapore government had announced on 5 June 2020 that it is planning to launch a wearable device specifically designed for COVID-19 contact tracing. The device will be distributed to all of its 5.7 million residents if the initial rollout is successful, according to recent reports.

The city-state’s foreign minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said that the wearable device is currently in development and will not depend on the possession of a smartphone. He added that the decision to introduce the wearable was also due to the issues of the country’s own TraceTogether app which is unable to work well on iOS or Apple devices.

Singapore’s TraceTogether app (image: Straits Times)

Details of the wearable device have not been revealed at this time. However, Balakrishnan told Sky News Australia during an interview that the device can be worn on a lanyard or kept in a handbag, and will be battery operated.

The Singapore government had not announced a date to when the city-state developed contact tracing wearable will be rolled out.

(Source: Reuters / Straits Times | Header image: Reuters)

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