New App Designed for Businesses To Track and Trace COVID-19 Patients

New App Designed for Businesses To Track and Trace COVID-19 Patients

Sep, 23 2020


Six months ago many of us thought this was a brief interlude and we’d be back to our normal lives within three to four months. Now in September it appears we’re being asked to take this much more seriously than we did back in March. With cases rising all the time the UK has to take action or else it could jeopardise it’s future health and economy for years to come.
 
A new initiative therefore has been  launched for Preston businesses. It will be a tracing app that will help locate individuals if they happen to be struck down by  this deadly disease.
 
The app will be available from tomorrow - Thursday 24th September and it will be  part of the governments testing and contact tracing programme. 
 
The following places will be applicable to the new app:-
  • Venues in hospitality
  • The tourism and leisure industry
  • Close contact services 
  • Local authority facilities 
These businesses MUST have a system in place by law in order to record contact details of their customers, visitors and staff. 
 
In addition, hospitality venues must  refuse entry to those who refuse to participate. Fixed penalty fines will dispersed to those who fail to comply. 
 
Businesses will be able to readily use their own unique QR code, which people can use to check in at venues. The app will notify users if they come into contact with anyone who later tests positive for the virus.
 
Councillor Matthew Brown, Leader at Preston City Council, expressed these words of appreciation to businesses, 
 
“We’d like to thank Preston business owners for their efforts in remaining Covid safe for their staff and customers. None of us wants to be in this current position but we must do all we can to stop the spread of Coronavirus which, if ignored, will have a long term effect on our communities and local economy. We’re raising awareness of this new app and encouraging Preston businesses to comply with this new law and do all they can to help in the fight against the spread of Coronavirus.
 
To comply with the new law, businesses must:-
  • Ask at least one member of every party of customers or visitors to provide their name and contact details 
  • Keep a record of all staff working on their premises and shift times on a given day and their contact details 
  • Keep these records of customers, visitors and staff for 21 days and provide data to NHS Test and Trace if requested 
  • Display an official NHS QR code poster from 24 September, so that customers and visitors can ‘check in’ using this option as an alternative to providing their contact details 
  • Adhere to General Data Protection Regulations
The app doesn’t track individuals’ locations, but uses postcodes to help work out where the virus is spreading.
 
Matthew invites all businesses to participate, 
 
“Please encourage staff and customers to download the app and use your unique QR code to check-in when they visit your venue. If we all work together, we can protect ourselves, our loved ones and our communities.”
 
Preston City Council say experts from the Government, Apple, Google and the National Cyber Security Centre have checked that the app is safe and secure to use.
 
For more information on the app, visit Covid19.nhs.uk. To read about the new law, go to the Government’s press release -https://www.gov.uk/government/news/venues-required-by-law-to-record-contact-details
 
Preston businesses are being encouraged to use a new Covid-19 tracing app to comply with the law for recording contact details.
 
^Alex Ashworth CCG UK Blogger