Starting August 11, the city-state of Singapore will require incoming travelers to wear electronic monitoring devices in an effort to enforce Covid19 quarantines.
The requirement, which covers both citizens and visitors, will allow individuals to quarantine in their homes as opposed to state-run facilities.
People will be required to activate the device upon reaching their homes and will receive notifications from time to time, which they must acknowledge. Any attempt to leave home or tamper with the device will alert authorities.
Details on what the device will look like were not given, but officials say it will use GPS and Bluetooth signals. Personal information will not be stored on the device officials contend, nor will the device be equipped with audio or video recording features.
Singapore has notoriously tough punishments for quarantine breakers. Under its Infectious Diseases Act, punishments of up to S$10,000 fines ($7,272), prison terms of up to six months or both, can be doled out. Singapore also has revoked the work permits of foreign workers who broke quarantine rules.