Electronic Monitoring Equipment can be used by Travelers to Singapore When Providing Covid-19 Stay-Home Notification Outside of the Facility

Last updated on May 6th, 2021 at 07:22 am

All travelers entering Singapore who serve their home notice (SHN) outside designated facilities will soon have to wear an electronic monitoring system.

From 10 August, these travelers would have to wear the appliance for a total of 14 days at home. Those include citizens, permanent residents, holders of long-stay passes, holders of job passes and their dependents. Kids 12 and under are excluded.

The stay-home rule has been applied to all incoming travelers as of March 21. Travelers complete the notice either at home or in a dedicated facility and are screened for Covid-19 in a designated community testing laboratory before the completion of the stay-home duration.

In a joint statement, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Ministries of Manpower and Education (MOM) announced that the devices would enable them to track those serving the SHN more effectively as travel restrictions are gradually lifted.

Apps are a change from the mix of text messages, voice and video calls and house visits used by the authorities to ensure compliance with the laws. The authorities said that after clearing immigration, travelers would be sent to checkpoints with the app.

They will need to disable it once they have entered their place of residence. If it is not disabled, the authorities can follow up and decide where they are located and assist with technical problems or take disciplinary action if appropriate.

GPS and 4 G or Bluetooth signals are used to assess if a person is within the range of their place of residence. Anyone who wear the system may receive alerts from it during the duration of stay at home and should notice them in a timely manner.

The authorities will then investigate the matter unless the individual leaves his residence for the Covid-19 test by appointment. After the SHN is completely serviced, the unit should be deactivated and discarded or returned as instructed.

Those who tamper with or uninstall the tool during the SHN era can be fined up to $ 10,000 or jailed for up to six months or face all punishments. For immigrants, ICA and MOM can also cancel or shorten the validity of permits and job passes.

The authorities have confirmed that the devices do not store any personal data and are unable to record video or audio. Data transmitted to the authorities are also secured by end-to – end certificate-based encryption, they added.

The authorities must strictly abide by the public sector data security regulations for the management and safety of personal data gathered by these apps adding that this includes the recommendations of the Public Sector Information Protection Review Committee. Only government officials approved by the respective authorities will have access to the data for monitoring and investigation purposes.