Changes to contact register requirements

From Friday, 12 February 2021 mandatory contact registers will be expanded in WA

The expansion follows a review of WA’s contact register system, which has been in place since December 5, 2020 as a precautionary measure.

Additional businesses include:

retail venues including: supermarkets department stores shopping centres pharmacies hardware retail components of other businesses where customers are physically present such as bank branches. commercial buses or vessels that can carry 12 or more people where different groups of people interact including: party buses wine and food tour buses hop on/hop off tour buses sightseeing tours party/function boats sightseeing/tour boats private charter buses/boats. public and private hospitals (visitors only - persons visiting patients, or attending meetings/lectures, couriers, and contractors) takeaway food and beverage services events with a COVID Event Plan (500+ patrons), and certain outdoor functions and gatherings under 500 people (e.g. weddings, corporate functions, fetes, festivals). 

In other jurisdictions in Australia, substantial outbreaks of COVID-19 cases were linked to businesses such retail outlets and takeaway venues.

Additionally, hospital visitors can currently attend unannounced and anonymously, which would make contact tracing difficult and challenging. Therefore, the expansion requires all hospitals, public and private, to maintain a contact register.

In addition, from Friday, 12 February, any businesses already using their own QR code for registration will be required to also clearly display the WA Government’s SafeWA QR code.

This will ensure that patrons are able to choose their preferred registration platform and facilitate the most effective and efficient collection of information for contact tracing purposes.

Industry engagement will be conducted with stakeholders over the next two weeks to ensure these expanded measures are implemented smoothly.

For more information about contact registers visit www.wa.gov.au/

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