The first two machines were deployed at the shopping malls Nex in Serangoon and Sun Plaza in Sembawang on Monday, as part of a programme to complement the token collection and replacement points at community centres and selected malls said the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) in a fact sheet on Monday.

Used for contact tracing during the Covid-19 pandemic, the TraceTogether token can be scanned at entry points to public places, offices and venues with high footfall, as an alternative to using the TraceTogether app on a mobile phone to gain entry.

The SNDGG said in a statement that it collaborated with the Temasek Foundation to retrofit vending machines formerly used to dispense masks to issue the replacement tokens.

But the vending machines, which can store 1,400 devices, will not issue tokens for first-time users who do not yet own a device, nor will they issue replacements for lost tokens.

Those with faulty tokens that are less than four months old will also not be given a replacement unit at the vending machines.

These users must head to a community centre or selected mall to request a new set, said SNDGG. Smart Nation ambassadors will be stationed at the machines to assist and gather feedback from the public, it added.

Individuals can also help their family members to replace their tokens. To replace an old token, users need to bring their identification card and drop off their old token in a marked slot on the vending machine.

They can check if the new device works by scanning the token on the SafeEntry Gateway box on the side of the machine.

According to Straits Times