Airport contact tracing app soft-launched on Oct 28

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Kiosks for swab testing passengers at Mactan-Cebu International Airport | Photos from Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority
  • TRAZE app for pilot-testing at Manila, Clark, Mactan-Cebu and Davao airports
  • App for mandatory use by all passengers at airports by end-November
  • TRAZE to be later utilized across all modes of transportation to contain COVID-19
Kiosks for swab testing passengers at Mactan-Cebu International Airport | Photos from Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority

A contact tracing application for the aviation sector will be soft-launched at key airports on October 28, in preparation for its mandatory use in all Philippine airports by end of next month, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

TRAZE, a new mobile application that uses QR code scanning for contact tracing, will be simultaneously pilot-tested first at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Clark Internal Airport, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, and Davao International Airport, DOTr said in a statement.

Other airports will also conduct pilot-testing soon. After a month or by November 28, use of TRAZE will be made mandatory for all air passengers in all airports nationwide.

TRAZE, co-developed by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) with Cosmotech Philippines, Inc., is already being implemented at PPA ports.

All departing and arriving passengers at the pilot airports will be required to download the app on their mobile phones, and to register an account before proceeding to the airport.

Passengers without mobile phones or any other mobile gadget can go to the Malasakit Helpdesk at the airport for registration assistance in getting a unique QR code, or they may ask a family member to register them with the app. The QR code can be used at any DOTr offices nationwide.

DOTr said through the use of QR code, TRAZE speeds up the tedious manual contact tracing process to just a few minutes.

Passengers will scan the QR codes at designated areas of the airport. Once a COVID-19-positive patient is identified, an in-app notification will be sent to individuals who may have had contact with the patient so they can immediately self-isolate and take other precautionary health measures.

TRAZE will eventually be utilized across all modes of transportation as part of the government’s effort to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by immediately identifying individuals who’ve had contact with COVID 19-positive patients, DOTr said.

TRAZE is compliant with Republic Act No. 10173, or the Data Privacy Act, as it allows anonymous registration and optional submission of personal information (i.e., mobile phone, email address). DOTr said the app does not require Bluetooth or GPS, and works even on weak mobile data or WiFi connection.

The app, which will have nationwide coverage, can also be used to scan QR codes in participating shops, buildings, and transportation modes the users went into to record their movement. It also allows person-to-person contact tracing by scanning the unique QR codes of other individuals using the application, as well as those of messengers and delivery personnel.