As part of the long term COVID-19 response WA Government has announced that the requirements for contact tracing will be extended to include all retail venues and take away providers from 12 February 2021, with penalties for failing to implement, encourage and maintain a compliant contact register of $50,000 for individuals and $250,000 for businesses.

The expanded number of venues, which clearly includes all supermarkets, petrol stations and roadhouses (even when only take away food is served), come into force on 12 February 2021 and will require that the business;

  • Implement a contact tracing mechanism that meets the requirements – Name, contact phone number, location, date and arrival time. Templates have been made available through – https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/covid-communications/covid-19-coronavirus-contact-registers-businesses-and-venues . It is important to note that businesses can use their own QR Code or similar, but it is strongly recommended to use the SafeWA app and QR Code system.
  • Prominently display the SafeWA QR Code (even if also using their own system), ideally near the entrance
  • Retain all contact register information confidentially and securely for 28 days after the date of contact
  • Ensure that all staff Check In to the contact register on arrival onsite
  • Ensure that the business is requesting all visitors and customers utilise the contact register (this can be done through signage)
  • Ensure that contact register details can be provided to authorities on request (within 3 hours of request) even outside of trading hours

Penalties apply for businesses (and the individuals who operate them) that fail to comply with these requriements. fines of up to $50,000 for the individual and $250,000 for the business will be applied where contact register compliance is breached. Breaches include;

  • failure to present contact information within 3 hours of a request being made
  • failure to present a compliance contact record on request
  • using or disclosing contact information for any other purpose (including internal marketing) – contact register information is ONLY to be used for contact tracing

As with the other mandated Check In elements ACAPMA has been asked by Members;

Q: What about minors? Do they have to Check In?

Persons under 16y do not need to Check In, but Adults with minors should be encouraged to Check In thier minors

Q: Does the business have to refuse entry if someone wont Check In?

The business has the right to refuse entry and service to persons as a private business, however, it is noted that in a fuel retail environment it may be impossible in a practical sense, as the customer may already have filled up their vehicle. It is noted that the business is required to provide the Check In facility (and a paper based version to be used if required) and encourage its use. The customer is required to Check In and will face penalties and fines if they do not, but it is up to law enforcement to issue those penalties.

Q: How is the business supposed to make records available within 3 hours of a request if it is closed?

This requirement is one of the reasons that it is strongly encouraged to use the SafeWA App for Check In, as the authorities already have access to the information, which allows for speedy contact tracing, and minimises the chance of a breach in this area.

For more information see;

ACAPMA

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