Taytay, Rizal -- After the mandatory wearing of face shields and face masks, the use of a mobile contact tracing application may also be a requirement for establishments, both private and public, in this municipality.
Starting this week, all establishments, big or small may also be required to adopt the system that a mobile contact tracing application is offering, for the sake of the safety of the residents in this fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Mayor George Ricardo Gacula II, told Manila Bulletin that the local government will soon mandate all establishments, private and public, including transport terminals, to register with the ‘Traze’ application, a mobile contact tracing tool that provides history of individuals you have been in contact with, establishments you visited, or the transportation you used or delivery crew you have encountered.
Gacula said with the cases of coronavirus (COVID -19) growing each day, the municipal government sees hope in the mobile application as it would be very helpful in tracing people who came in contact with a COVID positive individuals.
The application can be downloaded from the internet by individuals, establishments, schools, logistics, transportation, and others that see the need for contact tracing, ensuring the safety against the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic
An individual, instead of going through the hassle of manually filling-up a health declaration form every time he or she enters a government or private office, establishment, or even transportation, will only use a mobile phone to scan a QR code which records his/her entry there.
An individual or establishment can generate a QR Code from the same mobile app for free according to Cosmotech Philippines, during the mobile app’s launch at the Taytay Municipal Building recently. All one needs to do is register with the system providing basic information and a photo, according to Municipal General Services Office head, Vic Badaguas.
Cosmotech, in its Facebook page said Traze is Data Privacy Act compliant and does not use bluetooth or Global Positioning System (GPS) thus protecting one’s data privacy.
For those without mobile phones, the app can also generate a unique and printable Traze ID that serves as an identification in the system when one registers as an individual. A person will have to show the printed version of the registered QR code to the establishment for scanning.
If the registered individual or establishment has been found to have contact with a COVID-19 positive, he or she, or the establishment will be notified by Traze through its automatic notification system.
The office of Mayor Gacula said the app lessens the burden brought about by the tedious and hazardous process of manual contact tracing that is being done by either the police, municipal health personnel, or Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT) personnel.
Gacula said with the contact tracing becoming less tedious following the introduction of Traze, the local government hopes to achieve favorable results in the town’s fight against the coronavirus.
The mobile app was pilot tested in all the offices of the municipal hall during its launch September 10. The system managed to trace and notify the contacts of the person who tested positive for COVID-19 recently.
Once made mandatory, the local issuance will also require individuals to register using true information.
The local government continues to remind the residents to stay home and follow health protocols. The local police have arrested more than 1,251 individuals violating quarantine rules from August 3 to September 10.