Service can be accessed via dedicated app or using device camera

A new digital check-in service has been launched to help businesses in Scotland collect information for contact tracing purposes.

NHS Scotland’s Check In Scotland service allows people to record their details by scanning the QR code either in the app itself or simply by using their smartphone camera.

Any contact details collected will be held in a secure, encrypted data store unique to each venue for 21 days.

The data, which cannot be used for any other purpose that contact tracing, is automatically deleted on day 22 unless it is requested by public health officials for contact tracing purposes.

More than 6,400 venues have so far signed up to use Check In Scotland to collect the contact details of their customers.

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Businesses that can use Check In Scotland include pubs, restaurants and cafes; theme parks, museums and cinemas; close contact services such as hairdressers, beauticians, tattooists and sports and massage therapists; services run by local councils such as libraries, leisure centres and registration offices; funeral service providers and places of worship.

The Check In Scotland service is intended to complement the separate Protect Scotland app, which alerts users if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

People will only be advised to self-isolate if contact tracers believe they were in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

Otherwise they may be advised to watch out for symptoms of Covid-19, and to book a test if they or someone in their household displays symptoms.

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

Chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith said: “As travel, retail and hospitality restrictions begin to ease and venues start to re-open, 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.”

He added: “Together with the Protect Scotland app, Check In Scotland will help contact tracers reach people faster if there are coronavirus cases linked to a venue they have recently visited. 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.”