Abang Johari (second right) at the launch of the contact tracing apps. Also seen are Uggah (right) and Masing (left). – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING: Sarawak has officially launched two mobile apps to trace individuals who have been within the vicinity of Covid-19 infection to curb this pandemic.
The contact tracing apps, COVIDTrace and Qmunity were jointly developed by Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) and Sarawak Information Systems Sdn Bhd (Sains).
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg launched the apps during a ceremony held at Wisma Bapa Malaysia in Petra Jaya today.
He termed the apps as “very important” technological tools in helping Sarawak break the chain of Covid-19 infection.
“One of the apps (Qmunity) is for the business community to keep the data to manage and trace in case of any Covid-19 infection. Another one (COVIDTrace) is for the tracing of imported Covid-19 cases.
“A lot of people are coming back (to Sarawak) and this is to mitigate a second wave of Covid-19 infection, because we don’t know if they have been infected,” he said before launching the apps.
Abang Johari said the data would be kept and managed through scanning of the QR code which should enable the data collection centre to retrieve the data when required.
He said these apps would enable the authorities to trace individuals who had come into close contact with Covid-19 positive cases.
“When we know that there are people who are infected, we try to cut off the chain of infection. The data is stored at the centre and only the app people know the data.”
According to him, some quarters refuse to provide their details such as contact number, which is part of the standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the authorities upon entering business premises.
With the contact tracing apps, he said all they needed to do was scan the QR code.
“The data will be kept by the local authorities and they will be able to trace if something happens,” he added.
Abang Johari commended SMA and Sains for developing the apps to offer greater convenience for the community in Sarawak during this fight against Covid-19.
He was also pleased that Sarawak had focused on the development of information communication and technology (ICT) three years ago, before Covid-19 hit the global community.
“Apparently, we are quite advanced in this IT, storage and retrieval of data. We started this three years ago, we didn’t know that Covid will come, but we educate the people on the importance of ICT.
“Our enemy (Covid-19) cannot be seen, so we have to make sure that we are protected,” he said.
Both COVIDTrace and Qmunity are available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Among those present were Deputy Chief Ministers Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing.