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NSW Covid updates: Vax app not ready on time

The app designed to prove your vaccination status won't be ready by the time Freedom Day rolls around. Read our Covid blog.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos JUNE 02, 2021: A general view of the Service NSW APP on a mobile phone, Australia. Picture: NCA NewsWire
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos JUNE 02, 2021: A general view of the Service NSW APP on a mobile phone, Australia. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The state government’s app designed to make it easier for patrons to prove their vaccination status when checking into a hospitality venue won’t be ready by the time NSW re-opens.

Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello on Wednesday said the government is “aiming” to pilot the new function in a regional area for two weeks from October 6.

Currently NSW is set to reach the 70 per cent double-dose threshold on October 8, which would ease restrictions on October 11.

That means patrons will need to use the separate Medicare-issued vaccination certificate to prove their inoculation until the app is ready.

The location of the October 6 pilot program has not yet been decided.

Mr Dominello revealed that an additional QR code will be added to the Service NSW app sometime in October, to enable businesses to ensure patrons aren’t faking the check-in process.

“That will validate that this is a Service NSW product,” he said.

He said businesses will need to take “reasonable steps” to ensure patrons aren’t breaking the rules.

“They just can't turn a blind eye,” he said.

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/coronavirus/covid19-mental-health-minister-pushes-for-school-formals-to-go-ahead/live-coverage/35ffeaaf15a22366f39ca601c44b3cc4