COVID contact forms: Why Queenslanders are telling lies
Health Minister Greg Hunt has pleaded for Australians to stop lying on coronavirus contact tracing forms, after it was revealed a worrying number of Queenslanders were putting their health at risk, as well as those around them, by providing incorrect details.
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Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has hit out at Australians who are lying on coronavirus contact tracing forms.
It comes after News Corp Australia revealed that Brisbane residents worried about their privacy were lying on contact forms when attending venues including cafes and restaurants, risking their health and safety, and that of those around them.
“That is obviously illegal. Above all else, it does make it incredibly difficult (to contact trace). If you are thinking of your mother or your father, grandparents, the simple act of providing your details is the least you can do,” Mr Hunt told Seven’s Sunrise.
“It is about keeping the each of ourselves safe but all the family and friends. I want to appeal to the highest instincts, not just fear of prosecution. Saving lives and protecting lives. That is the message.
“Each of us has this extraordinary gift, our actions can help save lives and protect lives or inadvertently risk the lives of others.”
A poll of 1500 Australians, given exclusively to News Corp Australia, found one in 10 respondents had purposefully recorded incorrect or incomplete details on venue contact forms.
There were concerns about privacy, and nearly a fifth feared the business would use their details for marketing purposes.
The data provided by GuestCheck — a contact tracing platform — also found about one in ten respondents, who were aged 16 and over, believed providing their details to venues was unnecessary given they had already downloaded the Federal Government’s COVIDSafe contact tracing app.
Legislation exists in every state and territory mandating some venues to record patrons’ details and to hold them strictly for contact tracing purposes.
One in 10 Brisbane residents admitted to providing incomplete or incorrect details on contact forms.
Businesses in the state including hospitality venues, and beauty service providers among others are required to take down personal details in case the need for contact tracing arises.
Visitors are required to provide their full name, phone number, email address (or residential address if unavailable), and the date and time of their patronage. A Queensland Health spokesperson said businesses “must have these details on hand to provide to public health officers to assist with contact tracing if required.”
“The recent cases from last week emphasise just how important it is for individuals to make sure they are providing their correct contact details to ensure contact tracing can be doing done efficiently and rapidly where there is a confirmed COVID-19 case,” the spokesperson said.
“Records are to be used only for the purposes of tracing COVID-19 infections. Businesses must ensure records are stored confidentially and securely for 56 days, not use it for any other purpose, then dispose of the records securely.
“Penalties apply for failure to comply with the public health directions.”
The data also revealed that almost half of respondents were concerned about their contact details being on a paper page for anyone to see.
Patrons at venues using GuestCheck text a unique venue code to a designated mobile number, which then provides them with a secure check-in link.
Visitors then provide information based on what that business is required to record. Staff can then sight a green screen presented on the patron’s device that confirms the guest has registered correctly.
GuestCheck CEO Adrian Kinderis, whose digital contact tracing app is used by more than 500 pubs and other venues across Australia, called on governments across the nation to mandate digital contact tracing forms at venues.
“Governments need to do more. By not regulating this properly it leaves our health officials and contact tracers wading through handwritten logs and a patchwork of unverified contact data,” Mr Kinderis said.
“Without complete confidence that venue guests can be traced and contacted, the system is totally flawed.”
He said they needed to ensure they were storing personal data safely and securely to “avoid the risk of a privacy breach”.
“That’s a financial and reputational risk no business can afford right now,” he said.
Damien Manuel, Director of Deakin University’s Centre for Cybersecurity Research and Information, said while details provided in digital contact tracing forms were not immune from security breaches, that should not deter people from providing the information.
“People give away so much more information to companies like Facebook,” Mr Manuel said.
“You should, when you receive an email or a text message, question the legitimacy of it. And if you take that thought process, then really, there’s no harm in providing your name and contact details.
“It’s not like you’re handing over your date of birth, license number, or passport information.”
Originally published as COVID contact forms: Why Queenslanders are telling lies
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