Taytay requires contact tracing app

The local government of Taytay, Rizal will require the use of contact tracing apps for all establishments in the town in order to curb the further spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“This will be implemented townwide once we already pass an ordinance about this. We will require all public and commercial establishments to install contact tracing apps and QR codes,” Taytay Mayor Joric Gacula said in an interview.

The local government has partnered with Cosmotech Phil. Inc. for the Traze contact tracing mobile application.

Aside from the tedious process of filling out a sheet of paper, other people do not tell the truth that they have symptoms of COVID-19.

With this app, people will no longer fill out forms for their personal information. Likewise, it minimizes the risk of infection from ballpens available to accomplish forms.

“Aside from the tedious process of filling out a sheet of paper, other people do not tell the truth that they have symptoms of COVID-19. But through the QR code, there’s no more question about it because there is already information on how you can be contacted in case there is an infection in the place you went to,” Gacula explained.

“This (app) makes it easier for our municipal tracing unit and our local police to conduct contact tracing. And this is free. It will not cost a single centavo to our constituents. We really need this now because the government doesn’t have any more money,” he added.

“We will close establishments that do not comply with the said ordinance,” the mayor stressed.

So far, Taytay has 1,049 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 44 deaths and 804 recoveries.