A close contact is defined as anyone who has been within two metres and spent 30 minutes with an infected patient. "There is an acceptance of that intrusiveness in Singapore," said Chong Ja Ian, political science professor at the National University of Singapore. "The public response to these sort of demands tends to be quite ready, so that helps with the ability to trace." It is an offence for individuals to withhold or provide inaccurate information to a contact tracing officer. Moreover, people who breach quarantine orders can be fined up to S$10,000 ($7,137.76), jailed for up to six months, or both.

Source: International New York Times February 20, 2020 05:48 UTC