From Wednesday 7 July, Tasmanians aged 16 years and older will have to use the Check in TAS app when they enter a premise, regardless of how long they stay. Businesses must ensure customers are checking in upon entry to help with contact tracing purposes.
Here are a list of frequently asked questions that will help businesses navigate these new changes.
What prompted these changes?
It’s a contact tracing change prompted by the Delta strain of coronavirus.
Premier Peter Gutwein said in his press conference last Friday that there had been instances around the country where “minimal brush past contact which has led to transmission of the virus”.
What if they are only at the venue for 15 minutes or less?
All visitors will now be required to check in if they are entering a venue for any amount of time, even if it is only a short amount of time.
Where is it mandatory to check in?
This new requirement of checking in regardless of duration of stay, will immediately affect restaurants and cafes, pubs, churches, cinemas, nightclubs, museums, tourist venues, real estate auctions and open homes, gyms, swimming pools, health clubs and other venues already mandated to use the Check in TAS app.
From 31 July 2021 the relevant locations requiring the use of Check in TAS will be expanded. The new premises include: food courts; mobile food vans and stalls (except where the van or stall is located within a retail location or a market); retail premises including shops, pharmacies, supermarkets and other similar premises; shopping centres; markets, fairs and other similar premises; libraries; schools that provide kindergarten, primary education or secondary education, with the exception of home education; child care centres, (other than a child care service that is provided at a residential premises for children that live there); accommodation locations, including hotels, motels, serviced apartments, hostels, boarding houses, caravan parks, campsites and camping areas, bed and breakfasts and short stay accommodation (except where the premises is the persons’ residential premises); certain medical facilities; residential aged care facilities; certain mobile service providers who provide services at residential premises such as beauty therapist, hairdressers and personal trainers; and veterinary and animal care locations.
The requirements do not apply to: a person responding to an emergency; school students when they are at school or on a school excursion; and parents of children at childcare and students at kindergarten or primary school when dropping off or collecting a child or student from school.
For the full list of businesses who are required to use the Check in TAS app, visit the Tasmanian Government’s Coronavirus website.
I have multiple business locations, can I use one QR code for all of them?
No. Each Check in TAS QR code is assigned to a physical address, so if you are operating at multiple premises or locations, you will need to register a code for each site.
What about workers? Do they need to check in at every time they enter a building?
People checking in at work will only need to use the app upon entry once a day.
What if my customers do not have a smart phone?
If they are in a group, the app allows one person to check in everyone on their behalf. Otherwise, businesses will need to provide customers with paper versions to check in if they cannot do so electronically.
What if my customers refuse to check in?
Checking in to applicable premises, and events is mandatory for everyone. If a person refuses to check in, staff should highlight the importance of the check in requirements to assist the contact tracing efforts, and to keep the community safe and Tasmania open for businesses. Organisations may also want to remind people of their legal obligation to check in, and the potential penalties for failing to do so. That is, a person may face a fine if they fail to comply with the check in requirement.
After these efforts, if a person still refuses to check in, the operator of the premises or event must refuse entry as per the Direction Under Section 16 (Contact Tracing – No. 5) of the Public Health Act 1997.
For more information, visit the Tasmanian Government’s Coronavirus website, or contact the National Retail Association on 1800 RETAIL (738 245).