Thousands of venues sign up to digital contact-tracing tool

A new digital tool to collect contact details for tracing is now live in nearly 6500 venues including pubs, restaurants and cinemas.

Check In Scotland lets people give their details quickly and securely by scanning QR code posters at venues or downloading the app of the same name, said the Scottish Government.

All names, numbers and email addresses are stored in an encrypted data vault unique to each venue for 21 days.

“Unless information is requested by public health officials as part of their contact tracing efforts, visitor data is automatically deleted on day 22. Venue and visitor details will not be used for any other purpose,” a statement said.

More than 6,400 venues have so far signed up to the voluntary service ahead of a significant relaxation of Covid restrictions on Monday.

They include hospitality sites, as well as museums, theme parks, hairdressers, tattoo parlours, beauticians and massage therapists.

Local council-run services such as libraries and leisure centres can also sign up, as can places of worship and funeral directors.

Alerts will be sent by text, email or letter depending on what details users provide and “will be clearly marked as being from NHS Scotland Test and Protect”.

It is designed to complement the separate Protect Scotland app, which alerts people if they have been in close contact with a Covid-positive person.

Chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith said: “As travel, retail and hospitality restrictions begin to ease and venues start to reopen, it’s vital that any close contacts of new positive cases can be quickly contacted and given advice to self-isolate.

“Check In Scotland is designed to give businesses an easy way to collect contact details from customers for contact tracing purposes.

“It is entirely voluntary and up to individual venues to decide what method they prefer to use to collect the required contact details.

“The faster we can contact people who might have been exposed to Covid-19, the faster we can stop the spread of the virus, and keep moving towards the return of everyday activities.”

From Monday, pubs, restaurants and gyms can reopen, non-essential travel to the rest of the UK is allowed, and shops can welcome back customers, alongside a host of other measures in a significant easing of Covid restrictions.