NSW brings in customer cards for COVID check-ins

Service NSW has announced cards will be available for customers visiting essential retail shops, and a suite of other ‘improvements’ to its COVID-19 check-in app.

The card will contain a personalised QR code for citizens who register to participate and pre-populate web forms with all the usual details they would include when signing into COVID check-in sites. 

People will be able to either download and print a Service NSW check-in card at home, or have a plastic card mailed to them. 

Digital and Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello said the cards, which can be scanned at the entrance of supermarkets, were another contactless alternative to check-ins that involved a self-service webform of paper sign-ins.

“The days of seeking out somewhere to manually sign in with pen and paper should be an absolute last resort,” Dominello said. 

The minister also announced two changes to the check-in app following user feedback. From 13 August the app will make it easier for people to sign-in while wearing a mask, and give people the option of reviewing their check-out history and times. 

Dominello explained that these upgrades to the Service NSW app would allow NSW Health contact tracers to work with the most accurate information and act quickly to notify those who had visiting a COVID-19 exposure site. 

“Customers will also be able to opt to extend their login-period for the Service NSW app to up to four hours, making it faster and easier to check-in without having to re-enter a PIN or to remove their face mask to activate Face ID each time,” he said.

This is an edited version of an article that was first published by The Mandarin.