The Philippines on Tuesday released a mobile app that will make COVID-19 contact tracing as easy as shopping cashless using QR Codes. The Stay Safe app was launched at a Manila shopping mall, underscoring the need to follow virus protocols while reopening the economy.
From Tuesday, QR Codes will be rolled out to every train station, bus and commercial establishment for people to scan with their mobile phones. Once the code is scanned, the app will redirect the user to a webpage to key in his or her information, said Sec. Vince Dizon, the government's testing czar.
Developed by the MVP Group's Multisys, Stay Safe will provide a "seamless connection" between points of convergence such as malls and public transport and the government's pool of contact data, Dizon said.
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Since the pandemic, QR Codes have become more familiar to consumers, who prefer to pay digitally to limit human contact. Stay Safe hopes to eliminate the need for people to share pens and tables when filling out paper forms.
We tried installing it in our mobile. Stay Safe registered the phone number and asked for a profile picture. It also scanned the device location.
On Wednesday, the Philippines confirmed 2,218 new COVID-19 cases, among the lowest in recent weeks, as the total rose to 226,440. An adviser to the country's pandemic task force said the country could flatten the curve as early as this month.
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