Information gathering in Courthouses to assist with contact tracing - QR Codes

30/11/2020

Courts and Tribunal Services NSW has advised the New South Wales Bar Association that Courts across the state continue to take all reasonable steps and precautions to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in their buildings. The health and wellbeing of all court users - litigants, legal profession, judges, judicial and registry staff and members of the public and media - remains the paramount consideration.

Courts are introducing QR Codes to capture the information required to enable contact tracers to quickly access court participant details for potential COVID-19 contact tracing. The information collected is at the minimum level required to effectively contract trace within court locations.

A QR code is just like a barcode, with information that can be read by a smart phone camera. The contactless check-in captures the date, time and location of court participants and securely stores them for the sole purpose of contact tracing. The data is permanently deleted after 28 days, unless it has been sent to NSW Health, in which case it may be retained longer in accordance with Public Health Orders.

To reduce delays on entering the court premises and to maintain appropriate physical distancing QR Codes will be placed at various locations on each level and at the entry of the court room.

Court participants simply need to:

1. hover their smartphone camera over the displayed code and click the link; and

2. enter their first name, surname, mobile phone number and email address in the fields provided and click submit.

If a court participant spends time in different areas of the Courthouse the participant can check in to that area by scanning the relevant QR code. This will ensure the participant's location is accurately captured. Dependent on phone settings, personal details captured in step 2 above should be remembered and the participant only need click submit again.

Sheriffs officers and court staff will be on hand to assist anyone having difficulties.

Courts and Tribunal Services will continue to review its processes and advice from NSW Health to work towards minimising the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and encourage all court users to check-in so that the data is readily available for NSW Health to access if it becomes necessary.

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