Under the NZ alert level system all businesses, except retail, are required to record details of all people’s movements on their premises, including staff, customers and visitors. This is in case the Ministry of Health needs to contact people who have been exposed to COVID-19.
The Ministry of Health has developed the NZ COVID Tracer app to help individuals log and track which businesses and organisations they have visited, and who they have come in contact with. The app allows you to create a digital diary of the places you have visited and will make sure contact tracers can get in touch if they need to.
QR Code Posters
Businesses can support the app by generating QR code posters to display at each of their locations for staff, customers and visitors to scan. To generate a QR code poster you will need to register your business with Business Connect and you will need the following information to complete the registration:
a RealMe login
a New Zealand Business Number (NZBN)
authority over your business
You will also need to provide details of all business locations and associated contact details. Once you have registered each of your business locations you will be able to download and print a QR code poster for each location that you have registered. These posters should be displayed at the entrances to your business.
More information on registering with Business Connect can be found here.
Using the App
The NZ COVID Tracer App is available in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play store. The first time you open the App you’ll be asked to enter your create account and provide your name and phone number. Once this is done you will be able to start scanning QR code posters while you are out and about.
One of the key concerns with an app like this is around privacy so it is important to note that the only information that gets shared with the Government is your contact details when you create your account. All other data, like the locations that you have visited, is stored on your phone and is automatically deleted after 31 days. It is your choice whether you share any of this information with contact tracers.
If this information is required for contact tracing, you will currently have to read the locations in your digital diary out to contact tracers. An update to the app will be released in June 2020 which will enable you to:
electronically transmit a digital diary of the locations you have visited to contact tracers, if it is required.
the Ministry of Health will be able to send you a notification if you have visited a high-risk location
self report symptoms if you think you may have COVID-19
carry out a daily health check-in if you are in self-isolation.
So what does this mean for business?
Unfortunately, use of the NZ COVID Tracer App by individuals does not remove the requirements for all businesses to maintain a contact tracing register. All non-retail businesses must record details of all people’s movement on their premises. This includes all employees, visitors and customers. Retail stores do not need to record details of their customers but you must keep records of your employee’s and any visitors, such as maintenance workers or suppliers. More information and template documents can be found here.
Over the last week, a variety of ways of obtaining and managing this information have been seen. It is absolutely critical that whatever method you use to collect this information also protects the privacy of the individual providing the information. You are required to keep the register secure and confidential. You can only share the register with the Ministry of Health or District Health Board and you must destroy each register 2 months after its record date. Further information on Privacy requirements can be found here.
More information on the NZ COVID Tracer App can be found at the business.govt.nz site or the Ministry of Health.