Thailand-
Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-O-Cha has announced that a phone application for tracking and tracing the covid-19 Coronavirus, called Thai Cha-Na (Victory in Thai language) will be officially available tomorrow, before the second phase of easing restrictions and re-opening businesses begins.
Originally, it was going to be available this afternoon but the Prime Minister has asked for changes to the logo.
The tracking app, which we previously covered here, is voluntary for someone to download, however may be required by some businesses for entrance, especially in shopping malls. That decision would be up to an individual business or business owner. In terms of malls, there will not be a limit on the number of people that can enter a mall, however, people must comply with required health measures, including wearing masks, before entering.
The application is designed to alert someone if they were in a venue during the same time period as someone who tests positive for Covid-19. The person who got an alert would then be able to use the alert for a completely free covid-19 test. According to the Thai Government, it works by checking into venues, done either manually or through scanning a QR code that the business can provide. The Government has stated the Department of Disease Control is handling the application and it will not be used for any other reason besides tracking the virus.
Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin, a government spokesperson, stated that privacy concerns in regards to the application are unwarranted and that the application is simply there to help protect people. The application will also allow a person to submit a review on a business, for instance if it is not following social distancing guidelines, to the Department of Disease Control. This submission will be anonymous.
The application is free and will be able to work on nearly all modern phones. The application was built by The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.