On Friday, the government of Singapore stated, it plans on soon launching a wearable device which will enable the contact tracing for the coronavirus which emerged in Wuhan, China. On successful testing, it will distribute it to all of 5.7 million residents.

Like India’s Aarogya Setu app, Singapore has also developed a smartphone app to identify and alert people who have interacted with novel coronavirus carriers; Singapore’s app however has seen a setback because of glitches as a result of which, it is not widely used.

“We are developing and will soon roll out a portable wearable device that will … not depend on possession of a smartphone,” said Singapore’s foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan in the parliament. “If this portable device works. We may then distribute it to everyone in Singapore … This will be more inclusive, and it will ensure that all of us will be protected.”

The battery operated device, can either be worn on a lanyard or be placed in a bag, Balakrishnan had said last month in an interview with Sky News Australia.