Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

Many Singaporeans breathed a sigh of relief as Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures started easing on August 10.

People can now start dining in again, but there is a catch: Only those who are fully vaccinated are allowed to dine in at eateries.

Those who aren't vaccinated or haven't reached 14 days after their second vaccine dose have to take a pre-event test (and get a negative test result) if they want to have their meal in a restaurant.

Alternatively, they can dine in coffeeshops or hawker centres in groups of up to two.

Using a screenshot to game the system

The TraceTogether app is one of the ways for people to prove their vaccination status. But as with many things in life, there is a loophole that can be exploited.

In a tweet on August 10, radio duo The Muttons warned the public that some patrons had been using screenshots to pass off other people's vaccination status as their own.

https://mothership.sg/2021/08/vaccination-screenshots-tracetogether/

This trick was also mentioned in Enterprise Singapore's Updated Advisory for Safe Management Measures at Food & Beverage Establishments on August 9, which advised F&B staff as follows:

"Ensure [the vaccination status] is not a screenshot by asking the individual to click on other icons within the app."

But are F&B establishments conducting these checks?

I took a screenshot of my own fully vaccinated status in the TraceTogether app, and tried using it to enter seven F&B establishments on August 11.

There were a couple of tell-tale clues that would have given the ruse away, if one were to look closely: The icons on my screen could not be tapped, and the refresh button was not working.

In addition, the time at the top of my screen was wrong.

My experience

Most of the eateries I visited were mostly empty, with more than half their seats available.

Small establishments, like independent cafes and eateries located next to coffee shops, were the most relaxed, and hardly asked me for any proof of my vaccination status.

At 10am, I entered a deserted cafe with just one staff who doubled as a server and cashier.

"I can sit here right?" I asked, as he took my order. "Yeah, as long as you are vaccinated," he laughed.

At one eatery which sold Vietnamese bahn mi, I noticed that the staff only started asking customers if they were vaccinated when the place became a bit busier at lunch time.

I seated myself at a prata shop just before dinner time, after taking my temperature and checking in by scanning a QR code with my TraceTogether app.

There were a few other customers, and a waiter soon came by to ask, "Vaccinated?"

I wasn't sure what to say, so I just showed him the screenshot, which he accepted.

At Toa Payoh Central, I approached several F&B chains — MOS Burger, McDonald's, and Saizeriya — and Koufu food court.

A staff member greeted me at the door each time with, "Dining in or taking away?"

They all took a glance at my screenshot and picked off a sticker for me to indicate that I was a dine-in customer.

It was quite an organised mess at the Koufu food court.

Two people stood at the door, checking vaccination statuses and directing people towards the different entrances for dining in and takeaway.

If you were taking away, you could walk past the long queue and head into the food court directly.

I was handed another tiny sticker after the staff took a quick look at my phone. But in the food court, even I found it hard to distinguish between those who had the sticker and those who didn’t.

F&B chains urge customers to abide by rules

I reached out to the F&B chains to share my experience and also understand how businesses are responding to this loophole.

Both McDonald's and MOS Burger said that they will remind their staff to be more vigilant while Koufu said that it is "constantly fine-tuning" its processes to ensure that dine-in and take away orders at its foodcourts are properly managed.

McDonald's, in particular, is aware of such practices and said that it's "challenging when customers attempt to seek entry into F&B outlets including ours through such means despite clear communication from the government ministries".

It urged customers to "abide by the rules and do the right thing" since its service staff are already working hard to ensure safety measures are adhered to during this difficult time.

MOS Burger also said that it hopes customers will cooperate to play their part in following the new vaccination-differentiated rules.

Challenges in implementation

My findings were disheartening, but not totally unexpected.

F&B establishments have to constantly adapt to changing restrictions, and as McDonald's had said, it is hard for them and their service staff.

Some that I spoke to previously also said that it is quite "troublesome" and "messy" to devote limited resources to screen customers.

Before the pandemic, whenever you walked into a restaurant, the staff only needed to ask, "Table for how many?"

Now, F&B staff need to ensure that every customer checks in, either via a QR code or SafeEntry Gateway, do not have a fever, and present a non-static screen for their vaccination status — all before being able to seat them.

It's almost as it they have taken on the extra role of "safe entry ambassador".

It all seems extremely troublesome, with so many additional tasks for someone whose primary job is to serve customers their food.

In addition, from what I could tell, service staff — especially the ones stationed at entrances — are more often than not seniors who tend to have more difficulty with technology.

At MOS Burger, an older staff member couldn't tell which box indicated the vaccination status when she was shown an older version of the TraceTogether app.

"Which one is the one?" she asked me.

With the tiny font on my phone, I don't think older staff could have easily spotted the wrong time on my screenshot.

Most Singaporeans are also generally trusting, and a large majority of us are inclined to follow the guidelines accordingly.

As such, F&B staff might be tempted to let it slide. Some might even be uncomfortable with questioning customers in order to avoid conflict.

But if eateries aren't hyper vigilant about enforcing the rules, would patrons feel at ease eating at their establishments? More importantly, lapses like these might expose vulnerable individuals to greater risk than they signed up for.

How businesses can prevent patrons from gaming the system

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has said that there will be a heavy penalty for the individuals who fake their vaccination status.

But F&B businesses who do not conduct the required checks on dine-in patrons' vaccination status may also be in breach of Covid-19 regulations.

Thus, to check customers' vaccination statuses easily and conclusively, eateries can configure SafeEntry using the SafeEntry (Business) app.

Customers simply need to tap their TraceTogether App-enabled phones or tokens against the device to prove their vaccination status.

Just like how EZ-Link card readers work on buses, the SafeEntry (Business) app will automatically sound a loud beep for patrons who are not fully vaccinated and display their vaccination status, like so:

F&B staff can also encourage customers to hit the refresh button on their TraceTogether App, and make sure that the app’s animations are moving, or check the time displayed on the screen.

However, the refresh feature is only available in the newest version of the app (version 2.9.0), and the animations on the home screen are quite subtle.

For patrons intending to dine in, make sure to update your TraceTogether app to the latest version.

And of course, don't pass off someone else's vaccination status as your own.

Follow and listen to our podcast here

Top images by Kow Zi Shan.