Singapore to make incoming travellers wear tracking device to enforce quarantine

Singapore, Aug 03: Singapore will make electronic monitoring device for incoming travellers to wear to ensure that they comply with coronavirus quarantine as the country gradually reopens its borders amid the pandemic.

The authorities on Monday said the country will require incoming travellers, those have to serve 14-day stay-home notices outside of dedicated facilities, to wear a monitoring device.

The device uses GPS and 4G/Bluetooth signals to see if the traveller is within the range of their place of residence. Travellers will receive notifications on the device which they must acknowledge. Authorities will follow up with them if devices are not activated on reaching their place.

Any attempt to leave residence or tamper with the device will trigger an alert to the authorities.

The country authority said in a statement that the device will not store any personal data and does not have any voice or video recording function.

Also, those aged 12 and below will not have to wear the devices.

Notably, similar measures using electronic wristbands to track peoples' movements during quarantine have been used in Hong Kong and South Korea.

Menawhile, Singapore has reported 52,825 coronavirus infections, mostly due to mass outbreaks in cramped migrant workers dormitories.