Council asks residents to consider community benefit of COVIDsafe app

Goondiwindi Regional Council is urging its residents to consider downloading the Australian Government’s COVIDsafe app to help with coronavirus contact tracing.

The Honourable Lawrence Springborg, Mayor of the Goondiwindi region, said he has already downloaded the app.

“I think the Australian Government has been quite clear that the COVIDsafe app will help to save lives,” Cr Springborg said.

“I think the Federal Government has also been clear that the widespread use of the app will be an essential step towards restrictions being lifted,” the Mayor said.

The COVIDsafe app has the potential to speed up the process of tracing people who have possibly been exposed to somebody diagnosed with coronavirus. The app functions simply like a proximity detector and will allow public health authorities to quickly notify anyone who has had possible exposure.

“We’ve been so lucky in the Goondiwindi region so far, but we’ve all seen how quickly this can spread,” Cr Springborg said.

“So let’s keep on looking after our own – if your grandparents have a smartphone, give them a hand to show them how to download it, or give your mate a call to check if they’ve heard about it. If the worst happens and the virus does reach our region, we want to make sure our community has the absolute best chance of getting on top of it as quickly as possible.”

The app is voluntary and requires only your name, age range, phone number and post code. All information entered into the app will be stored for 21 days only and deleted after 22 days. The data will only be accessed by state and territory health authorities and cannot be used by law enforcement.

Cr Springborg said that while he acknowledged the choice to download the app was a personal one, he strongly urged residents to consider the community benefits of doing so.

“The COVIDsafe app is for one purpose only – to help the contact tracing of confirmed coronavirus diagnoses,” Cr Springborg said.

“If you already have location-sharing apps on your phone – and I think most people do - then I personally don’t see any cause for hesitation. If it could potentially help to save a life, then I absolutely think it’s worth doing.”

• The COVIDsafe app can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play. For more information, visit www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covidsafe-app.