Contact registers mandatory from 5 December 2020
09/12/2020
Contact registers will be mandatory from 5 December 2020
As you may be aware, the Western Australian Government has announced that mandatory contact registers at relevant businesses and venues will be introduced from 5 December 2020. Maintaining a contact register is an extra safety measure and one of the most effective ways to control the spread of COVID-19.
Businesses or venues required to keep a contact register, will include:
- Food and licenced venues (restaurants, cafés, bars, pubs, taverns, nightclubs)
- Gyms, indoor sporting centres and pools
- Places of worship and funeral parlours
- Beauty and personal care services including hairdressers and barbers
- Galleries and museums
- Cinemas, theatres and other entertainment venues
- Auction houses and real estate inspections
- Community facilities, libraries and halls
- Zoos and amusement parks
- Function centres
- Accommodation facilities that already have check-in arrangements in place (i.e. hostels, hotels, large camp grounds).
To assist businesses, the State Government has released a free, safe and secure app called SafeWA. Endorsed by the Department of Health, the app provides businesses and venues a unique QR code for patrons to scan to register their attendance. There is also a toolkit that can be downloaded which includes social media tiles, banners, fact sheets and videos for businesses and individuals.
In addition to these the toolkit now also includes:
- Pull-up banners that can be placed in areas where patrons will queue
- A simple sign highlighting to patrons that contact registration is mandated by the WA Government
- Support posters that can be displayed next to the venue’s unique QR code
- Troubleshooting guides for businesses and individuals
- Style guide including logos (JPG) and (PDF) if you want to design your own QR poster.
You may wish to encourage your stakeholders and clients to download the SafeWA app.
If you are reaching out to culturally and linguistically diverse communities, we have also translated the following into 28 languages. Please click on the individual languages to find:
- A choice of two contact register templates translated for businesses which prefer a paper-based contact registration system
- One page fact sheet on maintain contact registers
Data will be encrypted at the point of capture, stored securely and only be accessible by authorised Department of Health contact tracing personnel should COVID-19 tracing be needed. This means the Department of Health can “trace” quicker and keep people safe.
SafeWA can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play, giving businesses and venues, who choose to use the app, time to implement the digital contact register system for Saturday, 5 December 2020.
The use of SafeWA is not mandatory but is encouraged. Businesses may also use alternative formats for registration, including other electronic or paper-based systems depending on what is suitable for the business, venue or individual.
Businesses will need to record the name, telephone number, location, date and arrival time of patrons and keep that information for 28 days. Any person who attends a business or venue, other than for take-away, will be required to register their contact details. This includes patrons, staff, volunteers and contractors.
More information can be found on the WA Government website.