Contactless self-check temperature kiosks to be rolled out at 70 bus interchanges and MRT stations

A contactless temperature self-check kiosk at Braddell MRT station. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

SINGAPORE - Contactless kiosks that allow users to take their own temperature within two seconds are being rolled out at busy bus interchanges and MRT stations.

They are a part of a SG United initiative to encourage people to monitor their temperature regularly, said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) on Wednesday (June 24).

Users stand in front of the kiosk with their head level with the device, and a thermal sensor detects the heat signature from their forehead to provide a reading with a measurement accuracy of plus or minus 0.3 deg C.

A green light indicates that the user does not have fever, while an orange light will flash if the system detects that a person possibly has a fever.

MCCY said that in the latter case, the person should use another thermometer to verify his temperature and see a doctor immediately if he has a fever or is unwell.

The machines have been deployed at five locations - Braddell, Boon Keng and Tiong Bahru MRT stations, as well as Bukit Panjang and Serangoon bus interchanges - and will be available at 70 locations by the third quarter of this year. They will be there for up to a year.

The kiosks are a joint initiative by the MCCY, the Land Transport Authority and the Defence Science and Technology Agency, and developed in collaboration with Singapore-based engineering company Hope Technik.

Temperature screening at public transport nodes is not mandatory.

However, it is important to develop the habit of being vigilant and doing daily temperature checks, said Mr Letchumanan Narayanan, senior director of the resilience and engagement division at MCCY.

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"We think this is a good way for the public to be socially responsible and to remind them to work together to keep Singapore safe," he said on Wednesday, at the announcement of the initiative at Braddell MRT station.

A commuter, Ms Samantha Tan, 19, said that the machines are a convenient workaround to have since she does not have a thermometer at home.

The kiosks are very fast compared with handheld temperature devices, the student added.

Madam Lim Swee Eng, 70, agreed that the kiosk shows a temperature reading very quickly.

"You don't need to have someone pointing a sensor at your forehead," the retiree said.

She suggested that the kiosks could be improved by having a lower height setting for children.

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