Covid Tracer App

The Ministry of Health created a Covid Tracer App to help keep a “digital diary” of any place you visit. While use of this app is recommended, it isn’t required, and honestly, I hadn’t downloaded it until recently. That wasn’t because I didn’t like the idea of logging my movements, but it was because I didn’t think I could download the app because I am still on the US app store and can’t switch thanks to my season pass of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. (Fun fact: you can’t switch countries when you have a season pass for a show. It is really annoying.) However, it turns out that a quick search in the US app store does, in fact, turn up the NZ COVID Tracer app to download. So basically I’m a lazy American who likes trashy reality TV.

The download is free, and registration is really easy. They just need a valid email address, name and phone number. I was skeptical about how it works and if this was some sort of giant big brother exercise, but it seems to be pretty straightforward and privacy-friendly: scan the QR codes that are now required at any place of business that’s open, the data stays on your phone for 31 days when it is automatically deleted, you can choose to share your data or not. One option is to be notified automatically if you scan into some place at about the same time as someone who later tests positive. Another option is to receive daily covid updates.

Actually using the tracer app should, in theory, be easy. However, I find myself either forgetting completely to use it or really, really self conscious about using it because no one else is. I’ve found the most useful feature is the ability to manually enter a stop when I get home. Was I at the dog groomer’s at 10:30 and picking up coffee at 10:35? Yes, I was, but I didn’t enter any of that in until well after 2. In fact, I’ve only ever used the QR scanning feature once because I feel really, really awkward using it. Apparently 1.8 million people have downloaded the app, but I’d love to see the statistic on how many people are using it properly. Probably about as many people as those who are wearing masks. In other words - next to no one.