Venues across the Tweed are being urged to put the safety of customers and staff first and have a system for digital registration such as a QR code that records patrons’ names and contact details in place by 23 November, or risk facing penalties.
Member for Tweed Geoff Provest said digital registration, including QR codes, is fast, accurate and will give customers more confidence during a pandemic.
“Any local business that is serious about safety should be using digital registration, such as a QR code or other method of capturing contact details electronically. There are no excuses,” Mr Provest said.
“We have to move away from the walk-in culture to the check-in culture. This is about building resilience as we continue to open up as safely as possible heading into summer.
“The overwhelming majority of businesses do the right thing but there are some that have inadequate check-in systems.
“Complacency is our greatest threat and any business that thinks they are above the law will face serious penalties.
“I strongly encourage businesses to download a free NSW Government QR code and for customers to use the COVID Safe Check In through the Service NSW app.
“So far more than 16,000 businesses across the State have used a NSW Government QR code and 94 per cent of customers have given the COVID Safe Check In the thumbs up.”
Scanning a NSW Government QR code captures the business name, address and the customer’s contact details. The information is securely stored for 28 days for the sole purpose of contact tracing and can be instantly accessed by NSW Health in the event of an outbreak. After this time, it will be destroyed.
For customers who do not have access to a smartphone, venues are encouraged to record their contact details and time of entry using a digital device.
If there is an internet outage, venues can manually acquire details digitally, for example in Excel.