Scanning vital in keeping our Covid-proof fence intact
When I worked in Central Otago, I patrolled our ‘‘rabbit proof fence’’. I learned to spot any scratchings and minute holes. If I missed a rabbit opportunity, then the next morning our crops would be chewed as pairs of ears gleefully bounded about.
It is helpful that The Press has been reminding the team of five million that our moat and our borders need to be patrolled with the tracer app by everyone, alert for the spiky balls of Covid. We can all patrol: kids remind parents, grandparents remind kids, uncles and aunties weigh in, shopkeepers and shoppers, restaurateurs and diners.
If we practice using the tracer app, we will be able to respond quickly if there is a breach in our ‘‘Covid-proof fence’’. This will prevent us all from being munched.
Also, we need to give plenty of bouquets to the quarantine
Lanyard device
Most newspapers have articles stating we must do better when entering any premises re scanning rates.
I was able to use it for the majority of last year, before I had a message come through to enter my password. When the app was originally loaded, I had to enter a number. Stupid me never thought I would have to take note of it! When I tried to download the app my phone kept giving me the message, unable to download.
So I took my phone to my provider. A young man made several attempts to download the app. As he handed it back to me, I was told to contact Google. That is definitely above my pay grade!
After a week or so of feeling more and more guilty because I couldn’t scan and finding the signin sheets have all but disappeared, I went back. A different young man, after several failed attempts, told me gently my phone was now classed as too old.
What about others who could scan the majority of last year and find they can’t any longer? Can MSD contact us ‘‘oldies’’, either by email or ‘‘snail mail, to see if the lanyard device they trialled last year in Rotorua would be more suitable? Is it available? After all, ‘‘we oldies’’ have a lot to gain if all we need is a plastic lanyard around our necks.
Denise Gordon, Redwood (Abridged)