Check In CBR app no longer mandatory, upgraded for use as health screening tool

From 11:59pm on 13 May 2022, the use of Check In CBR will no longer be mandatory in the ACT. However, high-risk facilities will soon be able to use an upgraded version as a health screening tool.

Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith said licensed venues, registered clubs, night clubs, strip clubs, brothels and non-ticketed events will no longer need to use the Check in CBR app for mandatory check-in purposes.

Automatic notifications to members of the public who have attended these settings during a COVID‑19 exposure will also be ceased.

“ACT businesses and the community really embraced Check In CBR as part of daily life and this contributed enormously to the ACT’s contact tracing efforts,” Minister Stephen-Smith said.

“However, the Territory’s COVID-19 response has evolved over recent months and contact tracing is no longer a key component. It is therefore appropriate that check-in requirements can now be removed.”

The Check In CBR app has also been upgraded to include a new health screening tool for voluntary use by high-risk facilities, and a direct link to the online form to record positive RAT results.

“We’re encouraging Canberrans to keep the Check In CBR app on their phones and make use of these new features when they need them,” Minister Stephen-Smith said.

“The health screening tool will allow high-risk facilities such as hospitals, residential aged care facilities, disability services and correctional facilities that often have separate screening and check-in methods to use one tool to screen and automatically check-in visitors.

“The screening tool is consistent across facilities, easy to use and takes advantage of Canberrans’ familiarity with the Check In CBR app.

“This tool will be available for voluntary use by high-risk facilities that currently undertake health screening for staff, consumers and visitors, with data securely stored by ACT Health and deleted after 28 days, like other Check In CBR data.”

The new health screening tool will be available for use from 20 May 2022. Any organisation wishing to use this tool will need to apply for a new QR code that will automatically launch the new screening function when someone checks in using the app.

The Public Health Emergency Declaration has also been extended for a further 90 days to allow the Chief Health Officer to continue to take all necessary actions to reduce the threats to public health from COVID-19, especially as we head into winter.

“The ACT continues to experience around 1,000 COVID-19 cases a day. This level of community transmission still poses a risk to more vulnerable community members, including older Canberrans and people with some underlying health conditions,” Minister Stephen-Smith said.

“We anticipate that the upcoming winter will bring additional challenges, as people spend more time indoors and the health care system deals with both COVID and influenza in the community.

“It is therefore vital that the ACT Government has the ability to respond quickly should this be required over the coming months – for example, if a new variant presents additional risk.

“The declaration will continue to be reviewed every 30 days and the ACT Legislative Assembly will debate the step-down measures in the Public Health Amendment Bill in the June sitting period.”

/Public Release. View in full here.